Changes
by Nemonite
Summary: A 17 year old boy struggles to cope with the strange and frightening powers that awaken within him.
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

**Circa 500 A.D.**

Once upon a time… there lived a dark, twisted man.

He wasn't evil, per se… but he had darkness in his heart that ate at him every day. I couldn't tell you where this darkness came from; whether it had developed in him, or whether he had retained it his whole life… but I do know that it corrupted his mind.

His name was Apion. He was an orphan, so we never knew his true last name. In light of his limited heritage, my parents decided to adopt him. He took up my last name, and was forever known as… Apion Skult.

We had known each other since childhood. The best of friends, my parents had called us. Of course, back in the 6th century, all you really had were your friends.

We were a gifted pair of kids. We didn't discover our phenomenal abilities until our late teens, but when we did… it was fantastic. We didn't know what these astonishing abilities were, or where they had come from. Apion often called it destiny, considering our coincidental friendship at the time. I thought otherwise. Though destiny was an interesting, and incredibly common theory at the time, I had always been ahead of my time, mentally.

I argued that these powers were hereditary, though I had no proof to show for it. My mother and father were simple laborers. They had no astonishing abilities. Not like us.

Though we disagreed on many aspects of our abilities, the one thing we could always agree on were their power and mysticism. We were fascinated by the power we held, and the diversity in which we developed.

Apion discovered quickly that he had an uncanny control over the wildlife around him. Animals were careless around him, and he could bend the very forests to his will. Trees would grow and wilt in minutes, and the very essence of nature seemed to submit to his call.

My powers were somewhat different. I had no astonishing magic tricks like Apion. No, my abilities were more… athletic. By the time I was twenty-two I could have competed in any fighting tournament I had wanted and won. I was fiercely strong; renowned for taking down deer, elk, and even the occasional bear with only my hands. My speed was unparalleled in the natural world. Even Apion couldn't best me in a hand-to-hand fight.

Rumors of our exploits traveled quickly. Unfortunately, Apion got most of the unwanted attention. My powers were subtle and natural. I could simply argue that the man who saw me wrestle a bear to the ground was simply a drunkard, and everyone would shrug off the comment with a laugh. Apion, however… it was not so easy to convince a crowd of people that you hadn't sprouted an entire forest with nothing but your mind.

I feared for the worst. Before long, people were vandalizing Apion's living quarters. Graffiti appeared, torched into the side of his house that read 'Witch' or 'Demon'. It finally got to the point of no return. One night, a drunken man tossed his entire torch through Apion's window. Within minutes, his shack was ablaze.

I rushed to the scene as fast as I could, but I was far too late. The continued torment of the townspeople had pushed my friend over the edge. I gulped as I looked upon the body of the swaying drunken arsonist, strung up to a tree with a long, thick vine wrapped around his neck. Apion was nowhere to be found.

My powers went unused for quite some time after that. I lived day in and day out normally. I took an interest in biology and medicine, two nearly non-existent studies at the time. I was tutored under an older man, and I learned much about human anatomy and natural healing.

Unfortunately, this was not to last. My mentor became mysteriously ill after two years under his tutelage. After Apion's mysterious disappearance, he had become my only friend, as well as my confidant. He knew of my secret, and he said that it was wise for me to keep it as such.

I stayed up long into the nights, hunched over various scrolls and texted by my mentor's bedside. Not a single scrap of parchment could give me a single hint as to what was slowly killing my only friend.

He finally passed on. It was a grievous day for not only me, but the entire village. He had been the village's one and only doctor for as long as anyone could remember. As his one and only protégé, naturally it fell upon me to take up his duties.

Another year passed. I was now twenty-five, and was working as the full-time caregiver and medicine man of the village. Thankfully, it was a smaller village. Out of the 32 people that lived in its borders, I only serviced one or two a week. Back in those days, you only went to a medicine man if it was potentially life-altering/ending.

It was right around this time that I began to hear whispers. They were rumors, really. Little bits of information passed on from traveler to traveler. Any merchants that passed through the village would speak of the devil man and his demonic assistant. It started out small, just innocent quips and jests that held no real seriousness. But before long, it turned very serious. Entire villages were being slaughtered, and this 'devil man' seemed to be the common denominator.

It was said that he had bright silver, hateful eyes. He had dark grey, wild hair, and even the most innocent child would claim to see the evil that lived in his heart.

And then… there was the demonic assistant. I was listening in on a conversation as I patched up a traveling bard. He talked of a younger man traveling with this so-called devil. The boy had an affinity with nature, they said. Able to pull the very trees out of the soil, and bend them to his will. They said that every living thing lived to serve him.

I feared that my sneaking suspicions were true. Could Apion have re-surfaced, and was now wandering the world with this 'Devil-man'? I sincerely hoped that it was false.

Unfortunately, I never got a chance to warn the people of my thoughts.

I woke up one night to the smell of fire and brimstone. It seared my throat, and I scrambled out of my house, looking around wildly. All around me, my dear village burned. Fire raged over every household, licking at the thatch rooftops. Every household… except mine.

Apion appeared in front of me in a flash. He was faster than before. So much faster.

He explained that he had found a mentor out in the world. Another soul with amazing powers like ours. I could only assume that he was referring to the Devil-man. He told me that this man, whose name was Arthas, was looking for people like us. People that were strong, and could become stronger.

I declined his request vehemently. This was no longer the Apion I had once cared for. I could see the madness in his eyes… the bloodlust. Whatever he had learned from this 'Arthas', it had corrupted him.

We fought after that. It was easily the most intense fight of my life; we were evenly matched. Though I hadn't practiced in years, Apion made the mistake of engaging me in hand-to-hand combat. I bid my time, and used my advanced knowledge of the human anatomy to create an opening. I knocked him backwards, kicking him harshly on top of the jagged picket fence surrounding my house.

I grimaced, my stomach turning as I watched my first friend begin bleeding out. He didn't die quickly, however. Apion laid there for a very long time, his eyes focusing on nothing, simply staring up at the sky, his breathing getting more and more labored. His eyes finally flicked over to me, and I could see small trails of tears streaming down his face.

I had no words for him, and he had none for me. The betrayal that we had both committed ran too deep. He raised his hands up, and his body began to glow a faint green.

I tensed, my muscles preparing to move in case he tried to continue fighting, but he didn't. I watched in awe as his power traveled through his body. I could visually watch as it flowed from the deepest parts of his abdomen, up through his arms, and to the palms of his hands. There it began to coalesce into something solid…

A small, green ball of energy began forming in his hands. Soon it hardened, and I watched as the last remnants of energy passed from his body into this container.

As the life-force left his body, Apion's eyes dulled, and his arms went limp. The pod fell to the ground, and I felt an enormous wave of power emanate from it. It was frightening.

This was the first recorded creation of the embodiment of a powered human after death.

This was the first known Catalyst. My name is Ian Skult, and that was my story.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Beginning**

**Present Day - Mac's P.O.V.**

* * *

These hallways never changed. I skulked down the dreadfully narrow passageway, Cement High School, with its population of 358 students, was the epitome of pathetic. My eyes drifted lazily between the rows of students on either side of me, it amused me how they tried to keep their cool, yet I knew everyone wanted to yell out, "Fuck you! Get out of the god damn way!" but I stopped giving a damn long ago, so long as I was stuck in this putrid hellhole, I would do as I pleased.

I glanced down a side passageway and immediately wished I hadn't. Shelby Stanford was wrapped around her new twig of a boyfriend, Andy Garret. He was a lanky son of a bitch that didn't give a shit who he offended, so long as he made himself feel superior. He had shoulder length hair, and deep shadows under his eyes, giving him the appearance of a sleep-deprived hippy; I imagine the only reason he didn't get the tar kicked out of him was because it'd be too pathetic to watch him squirm.

My eyes scanned through the other couples of our school, the summer sure had been a prosperous one, and it seemed that a dozen or more couples had formed, their intertwined bodies visible down the hallway. Jessica Bower and Uriah Cast…August Henkey and Brandon Tarkwinio…Sherry Preengel and James Marten …They had popped up like weeds, in startling abundance.

Breakfast in hand, I slowly trudged my way to first period Spanish, my mind set in its casually uninterested stance.

I was, as usual, the first student in the classroom, my little group of kids I met in 8th grade were now people I only talked to in-between classes and sometimes during class, no other times, I just didn't feel like communicating.

Mrs. VanCarriager was behind her desk, deeply involved in grading papers, she had probably forgotten to do it the night before.

I plucked my recently discovered, new book to read: 'Salem's Lot, by Stephen King off the bookshelf near the teacher's desk, and promptly sat down and began to read.

It wasn't long before the bell rang, announcing the 5 minute mark before the class period began. Students began filing into the room, one by one. Brandon and August took their respective seats to my right, while Shelby took her seat across from mine. We continued to be friends after the rocky break-up, and I got to be a first-hand witness to her self-butchering.

She had cut her hair, it was now hanging barely past her jaw line, and she had dyed it, a multitude of colors now hung off her head. The piercings were abundant, she had gotten at least 10 in the last two years. She knew of my disproval, but she would do to herself as she pleased, as she had told me when I asked her about it.

I sighed and laid my head down as Mrs. VanCarriager once again explained that our _La Comida _quiz was due by the end of today, I had passed it off earlier in the week, dull.

My outlook brightened up considerably when I recalled today was only a half-day, meaning that I would only have to endure 1st, 2nd and 3rd periods today.

The final dismissive bell for the day finally rang, and I stretched as I was finally free of this wretched school for the remainder of the day. I flinched as I remembered the mile long walk I always took on half days, rather than wait 20 minutes for the busses to get up here.

I pulled on my coat; it was a cold day, 24 degrees Fahrenheit, unseasonably cold, as it was only late fall. I started out the double wide doors and noted the thin sheet of ice layering the ground; last night's rain would make this walk annoying. I walked down the steps of the school, and across the brief section of grass that lead to the main road leading in and out of the school.

Looking back on this, I should have taken the back road to my house, it was a quicker and safer route, but a lot of drug users hung out back there, and I didn't want to get mugged.

I had started my hike down the steep slope of a road when I heard the noise, it was a squealing, scraping sound, like an animal trying to claw its way out of a trap. I was next to one of the main support beams that held a portion of our school above the road. (You'd have to see it to know what I mean) I turned around, somewhat startled by the noise, but I didn't have much time to register what was happening. Brandon Kayless, one of the jocks of our football team, decided that it would be prudent to go 50 miles an hour down the hill leading to our school in his monster of a truck. What he hadn't counted on, was the large patch of ice that had formed from dripping water from the school above. He hit the ice patch, and immediately hit the brakes, the only thing he succeeded in doing, as opposed to slowing down, was his truck fish-tailing around; and the last thing I saw was the flash of his brake lights as the bed of his truck slammed into me.

* * *

The hospital lights were bright. My eyes were dilated from the extreme morphine content, so every fluorescent light was brighter than the last. I was being raced on a gurney through the hospital, it seemed to go on forever, I was barely aware of my surroundings, I heard sobbing, but couldn't identify the voice. A noise, my name maybe? I noticed briefly that my breaths were becoming harder and harder to take in.

We finally pulled into a room, there was a bright overhead light, my head was spinning; I couldn't make it stop.

I heard the doctors and nurses murmuring around me, words that I couldn't understand, but I wasn't sure why; I was positive that it was English.

One of the doctors, probably the surgeon, barked out a few orders and the rest of the staff emptied the room, leaving just me and him. He looked me dead in the eyes; he knew I was aware of my situation. He seemed stunned for a second, maybe I wasn't supposed to be awake. He bent close and muttered a few quick words into my ear, which surprisingly I could understand, "Do not be alarmed, and do not share with anyone what you will witness here".

I had no idea what he was talking about, so I just nodded dumbly. I noticed in the back of my mind that this room lacked any one-way mirrors or video cameras, what an odd place for a surgery…

He produced from his white hospital jacket, a long, wicked knife. My eyes widened, this certainly wasn't a standard issue scalpel. His words rang through my head, and I made an effort to calm myself, I figured following his orders would be the wisest thing to do.

He made a large incision along my abdomen, from the bottom of my ribcage, almost to my pelvis, it didn't hurt. He pulled a small green box from a drawer somewhere behind him; it reminded me of a strange wedding ring box. What was stranger was the scent; it was a very earthy, woodsy scent, highly contradictory to the sterile hospital. I felt my eyelids drooping, the morphine was taking its toll, but I needed to see what was in the box.

He slowly cracked open the lid, and produced something that looked a lot like a walnut, it was covered in moss and vines, but I could definitely see the light brown texture of the pod, it was maybe the size of a golf ball.

The last thing I saw before passing out again was the flaps of the incision being pulled back, and my mild panic as the doctor placed the seed pod inside me.

* * *

I drifted in and out of consciousness within the next few days; I had picked up a few conversations, my mother, talking to the surgeon, he told her that it was a miracle that I had survived, the back end of a truck hitting me at 50 mph could have easily killed grown men. He hinted that the surgery is what ultimately saved me.

I squinted against the bright light, but squeezed my eyes shut when I heard the voices, "…lby, you've been here for three god damn days, the doctor has told you he's gonna be fine, can we get outta here already?" droned out the very last voice I wanted to hear at my hospital bed.

"Andy, you're free to leave if you want, but I'm not leaving until he wakes up!" came my old girlfriend's irritated reply.

I heard a muffled grunt and a shuffling noise, then the door opening, and promptly slamming shut. Shelby let out a sigh of relief. "You've been here three days?" I quietly asked, without opening my eyes. Shelby jumped out of her chair in shock. "M-m-mac! You're awake!" she exclaimed.

I opened my eyes and glanced at her. She was a wreck, her hair was disheveled, her makeup smudged, like she'd been crying, and she was giving her boyfriend a run for his money on who could look most sleep-deprived. "Yeah, I'm awake"

"How long were you listening to all that?" she tentatively asked. I sighed, "A couple minutes. You didn't answer my question."

She looked momentarily flustered, "Well, yeah, I've been here a couple days, the beds suck" she jokingly said. I rubbed my temples and sat up, "How long have I been here?"

"Just over 4 days" came the response. I cursed, that meant I overshot my excusable absence limit at school. I shooed her away from the bed and drew the curtain so I could get changed; I quickly hopped into a new pair of clothes, compliments of my mother.

"I'm checking myself out" I said as I pulled on my shirt, pulling the curtain aside.

"Are you even allowed to do that?" Shelby asked, astonished. "Dunno. If I can't, I'll sneak out; we're on the first floor. Windows aren't far up."

My getting up must have triggered some alarm however, because immediately the surgeon from 4 days before appeared in the doorway, a disapproving look on his face.

My memory clicked. The surgeon, cutting me open, placing some walnut thing in me, everything came back to me. His words of warning also came back. My eyes narrowed in contempt.

"Don't give me that look. You aren't going anywhere." He said very matter-of-factly.

"I'm healthy. You have no reason to detain me." I said scornfully. "You just recovered from a hit and run with a 2 ton truck hitting you at 50 miles per hour. Sit down." Came the snooty reply.

The doctor ran a basic physical analysis and a cat scan, checking for any further damage, I saw the initial damage: Three broken ribs, two fractures, a snapped femur, and a punctured lung.

Shelby had disappeared shortly after the good doctor arrived, so for awhile it was only me and him. "What did you do to me?" I asked, solemnly.

The surgeon sighed. "First, I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Doctor Ian Skult, my err…colleagues call me Stitches". He took a deep breath. "You were on the verge of death when you entered that surgery room. I saved your life…by planting special a pod in your stomach…" He paused while I processed this information. My mouth was slightly agape, not entirely sure I was hearing this. "This pod, it has incredible healing capabilities…but…"

I caught the hesitation. "But what?" Ian flinched. "There's somewhat of a catch…within the next few weeks you will begin to notice…changes. They should be fairly harmless, but if you feel that you need any help…" He produced a card from his jacket, "…you can find me at this address"

I blinked. "What do you mean by changes?" He sighed. "It's difficult to explain, but they will make themselves apparent. I will let you leave right now if you promise me one thing"

I gulped, "And what might that be?" He sternly caught my gaze, "What I did to you is completely hidden from the modern world, do not tell anyone about what has happened to you, unless they know my nickname, Stitches. Only those people can be trusted." I nodded. "I accept your conditions, this better not get me killed."

I then sat up and began walking towards the door, only to hear his ghostly laugh follow me, "I wouldn't have bothered saving you if this was potentially dangerous to you."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Awakening**

**I was the talk of the town for more than a week, Brandon Kayless had his license revoked and was expelled from school. I had kept an eye out for these so-called 'changes'; they were more subtle then I expected. My primary senses were the first thing to change, I became overall far more aware of the world around me; movements that before would not have caught my attention now startled me, I could hear smaller sounds, and scents were more pronounced than before.**

**The next thing to happen caught me way off guard. Animals became more attracted to me, and I'm not talking just dogs and cats; deer and sometimes coyotes would reveal themselves to me, and would just stare at me for hours at a time.**

**The most startling change made itself apparent one cold, Halloween night.**

**Trick-or-treating wasn't really my thing, though I'd often roam the streets on Halloween, check out the costumes, some of them were okay. Shelby had always asked why I didn't dress up, and I always told her (somewhat jokingly) that I didn't have to, which would always reward me with a smack upside the head.**

**It was well after midnight as I was strolling through the mostly dark streets of Cement. The lights in most homes were either dimmed, or off, signifying the end to the night's festivities.**

**I heard a swift march on the opposite side of the street, compliments of my new hearing, and turned to see Shelby, dressed in a black satin dress, walking alone, at night, in the middle of this hillbilly town. I squeezed my temples; if she didn't have at least a can of mace on her I was going to freak out.**

"**Ay! Shelby!" I called out. My head jerked in my direction, and I could see her squinting, obviously not able to see me as well as I could, her. "Mac?" she cautiously asked.**

"**Yep. The hell are you doing walking around town at this time of night?"**

**She frowned. "Well, I was at the school dance, but Andy decided to go speeding off drunk with his idiot friends, and all of my friends were busy, so I'm walking home."**

**I ground my teeth. Fucking dickhead was going to get curb stomped by me one day.**

"**I'll walk you home, Shelby. It's dangerous for you this time of night" She fidgeted from across the street, I knew this made her uncomfortable, but hell would freeze over before I let her walk alone.**

**I heard the revving engine far before she did, I saw the shadows stretched on the trees, and shudder erratically as the headlights spun around the corner, my mind, as I saw the car come speeding around the corner, already knew what to do; get to her.**

**There was one problem to my little plan, my body. It was slow; my mind was operating faster than normal, even faster due to the now racing adrenaline through my veins. I saw her face, tentative, slightly nervous, as she reached the halfway mark across the street, her mind would be registering the car any moment now.**

**My body finally started to move, my face was a mask of terror as I slowly lurched toward her, I saw her eyes drift to her left, down the street, and onto the car. She froze, and the words **_**deer in headlights**_** flashed briefly through my mind. I could smell the mix of alcohol and exhaust from where I was, the roar of laughter as they cruised down the road, unaware of everything.**

**The car was getting close, I could see the absolute terror on Shelby's face, maybe 2 seconds had passed since seeing the headlights.**

**I snapped. My mind broke out in a frenzy, rage, frustration, every angry feeling I had ever felt sprang to life, and so did other things. The concrete around the car rippled and churned, and began to break. **

**All at once, thousands upon thousands of little vines began busting through the road, wrapping around the car, entangling and intertwining, but the metal monstrosity was still coming. The car was now a mere 10 feet from impact with Shelby, a cry of pain burst through my lips and a gut wrenching pain tore through my abdomen. At the same time, the concrete in front of Shelby exploded, a huge root protruded from the ground, easily as thick as a tree trunk. **

**The car crashed into the root, and it jerked it to a stop, but not soon enough. The root wrapped around the midsection of the car and compressed, killing anyone in the back seat. I watched in horror as the laws of physics came true, the car had too much inertia to be completely stopped. The front bumper slammed into Shelby, sending her sprawling across the road.**

**A rage like nothing I had experienced before rippled through my body, my muscles bunched, contracted, and nearly snapped from the strain. A second root, even larger than the first, tore through the cement and wrapped around the car, bumper to bumper. The roots, as if obeying my wishes, compressed the car, similar to a boot crushing a soda can.**

**I screamed in fury and the roots receded, pulling the demolished automobile with them, into the open maw of the earth.**

**My body moved before my mind processed what had happened, it couldn't have taken more than 15 seconds total.**

**I was at Shelby's side in a fraction of a second, the tears already brimming over my eyes. She was a wreck, her face was bloody, and it was apparent that she had several broken bones; her arm was bent at a strange angle.**

**She coughed, and that did it, the dam broke, and every tear I'd been holding in for over 2 years broke loose. "Shelby…" I started, "Shhh…" she interrupted me, her breath barely a whisper, "M-mac…D-don't say anything, you couldn't have stopped this…" her breaths were coming in short gasps.**

**I was frantic; I was having a mild panic attack, my mind going over everything I'd learned medically, be it from TV, or my general knowledge.**

"**S-shelby, don't move, stay perfectly still, where's your phone?" I shakily asked, I hadn't seen her carrying her purse. "Forget it Mac…I left it at home" I knew this had to be true; she would have called for a ride.**

**A frantic scream burst through my lips, and my hands tore at my hair. I looked around frantically; we were in an empty part of town, warehouses on one side, and the old cement silos to the other.**

**I broke down; sobbing frantically, "Don't die on me! Don't you dare die on me!" I cried frantically.**

**She smiled, albeit being a bit lopsided, and managed to rest her hand on mine. "You'll be –cough- fine without me…I never did you any…good…any..way…" Her words slowly began to drift off, and I saw her eyelids slowly closing, if she slept now, she would die.**

"**No! Shelby! Stay awake god damn it! Don't you close your eyes!" but my pleas went unanswered, her eyelids gradually closed.**

"**No!" I screamed in defiance. I felt something strange building up in me, a feeling that had registered earlier, with the roots.**

**A warmth began to spread through me, spreading from my stomach, up my arms, down to my hands, and finally out my fingertips.**

**That's when the pain started. **

**It was the worst pain I had ever felt in my entire life, the pain from earlier was nothing to this. Getting run over by a truck had felt better than this…**

**My hands stayed over Shelby's through this ordeal, even though I was crying out in horrid, terrible pain, I still managed to clench onto her hands. The pain centered over the scar on my abdomen, and for a moment, I thought the doctor's incision had reopened, but even that wouldn't hurt this bad.**

**This must have lasted for at least 5 minutes, maybe longer, I wasn't sure. The pain gradually dulled from my fingertips, and my arms, and finally, the pain in my stomach all but vanished.**

**I opened my eyes, not sure what I was expecting to see, but all I saw was the lifeless form of the girl I loved.**

**I cried for a long time, just kneeling on the side of the road. It may have been half an hour, maybe longer.**

_**Thu-thump**_

**The noise was like a bucket of fresh, clean water, washing away the oily despair I'd been drowning in.**

_**Thu-thump**_

**I could feel it, under my fingers, clenched around Shelby's hand, the slow, steady rhythm I had once felt so attuned to.**

_**Thu-thump**_

**Her heartbeat.**

**I then took the time to really look at her, and wondered if I'd been seeing things. Her body was as flawless as I'd remembered before the car struck her, not a hair was out of place on her head, and not a single scar marred her beautiful face; if it weren't for the blood, I'd have visited a mental clinic to test my sanity.**

**I almost started crying again out of pure happiness, and I slowly lifted her off the concrete street, noting how much easier it was.**

**The street was long and oppressive as I walked along it; Shelby's steady breathing being the pace for my footsteps.**

**I felt a protective instinct taking hold of me, and I held her closer to me. I felt something stirring within me, and I felt myself changing, I gradually became lower to the ground, a deep rumbling building in my chest, hair sprouting in large amounts over my body. I felt my teeth lengthen and sharpen, my ears become pointed, my hearing sky rocketing.**

**I looked down at myself. I had….morphed…would be the appropriate word for this…I was no longer a human. I had turned into…some kind of large cat, with Shelby sleeping peacefully, in the notch between my shoulder blades.**

**I didn't have the mental capacity to question this, my mind was a wreck, the mental stress I had experienced was unreal, and I still had a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.**

**I let instincts take over, and prowled my way back to my house. Luckily, my Mom and sister were gone for the weekend, so I had an abundance of time to cover this up. Undoubtedly the police would catch wind of those guys disappearing.**

**I slipped in through the front door after shifting back to my human form, the hum in my stomach disappeared. I laid Shelby down on my bed, I looked at her blood stained dress, a light flush staining my face as I contemplated getting her new clothing. I decided against it, she'd be angry at me tomorrow, no need to give her an actual reason to be.**

**I looked at the clock, 4:46 a.m. no point in sleeping now.**

**I pulled open one of my dresser drawers and rummaged through, procuring a small slip of paper, on it was a written address, under the name of Doctor Ian Skult.**

**I wrote down what had happened last night, summarized and paraphrased to make it seem believable, and some basic directions, she had been to my house many times before, she knew her way around. I told her I'd be back later.**

**I left through the back door, to prevent being seen, the early rays of dawn were beginning to crest over the horizon. **

**Deep inside me was a power I had never felt before, I recognized it as the one I had used last night…it was an indescribable feeling…kind of like discovering you had a new limb. **

**The power pulsed through me, and I found what I was looking for. My body once again began to shift, phasing back into the slender body of a cat, I was different this time, leaner, not as muscular and not nearly as tall as the cat from last night, this cat was built for running.**

**The road flew from beneath my paws, I must have been racing down the road at 60 mph, possibly higher, much faster than the city limits, but I had a good 50 miles to traverse, and I wanted to be there today.**

**It took me 40 minutes approximately to reach my destination; it was not a house, I wasn't even in a neighborhood, it was a warehouse block.**

**I snorted as I approached the appropriate warehouse, 27A. I was shocked when it began opening, as if it was expecting me.**

**I gulped nervously and tread carefully into the awaiting blackness.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Revelation**

**I'm not sure what I expected when I walked into the dark abyss of the warehouse…but it certainly wasn't this.**

**A lush, deep green valley surrounded me; the air was tinted with a deep blue color, giving the place a mystic feeling. I turned around, astounded by what I saw; I walked into a warehouse…and wound up in a valley?**

**I heard chuckling behind me. I whirled around, face to face with the good doctor. "Hello Mac. You're later than I expected." He said, grinning.**

**I flinched, remembering the night before. "I…ran into a small obstacle".**

**He chuckled again, "You're not very good at understating things. I witnessed your ordeal last night, quite an impressive display of power…and life."**

**I caught his eye, "You watched her die in my arms and DIDN'T GO FOR HELP!?!?" the last part was almost a shriek. Ian eyed me cautiously, "I knew you wouldn't let her die, or stay dead. That's why I chose you."**

**I flinched at the **_**stay dead**_** part; she had certainly been dead for the better part of an hour.**

**My eyes widened; I brought someone back from the dead.**

**He smiled at my revelation, "Mac, you have been given a power that few before you have been given."**

"**Power…?" the word hung in the air. "Yes. I bestowed upon you, with that seed, the remarkable powers of the nomadic druid"**

**My mouth hung agape for a split second. "So….all that was from…me?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around it.**

"**Yes, druids have always had a natural longing for all living things, the animals, plants, everything gravitates around you, in such a way that you can control, and even transform into them." **

**My mind blinked to the cat like creatures I'd embodied, and the roots I'd manipulated. Things were starting to fall into place, but that didn't explain how I got here. He seemed to notice my curiosity, "You were teleported here."**

**I raised an eyebrow in acute astonishment. "Teleported?"**

"**Yes," came the curt reply, "We have a portal set up in the door of the warehouse, and it sent you here."**

**My mind slowly turned, chewing over this new information, "Wait...You said 'we'. Who's we?"**

"**That'd be us" came the jubilant response. I looked behind me, and sure enough, a few people were entering through the portal. **

**The first in the line was an exuberant red head, she walked with a slight spring in her step, and her whole form radiated cheerfulness. It was almost nauseating. The next was a masked figure, he or she was wearing a dark blue shawl that masked most of their body, they were kind of short, maybe 5'5". The third was also kind of short, though I didn't pay it any notice; she had dark brunette hair, and a smile bright enough to light up a cavern, at her sides she held two wickedly pointed knives. Neither one of these girls could be older than 25.**

"**Mac, I'd like you to meet Trixey, Alvina, and Calypso, in the order they came in." Skult said, "They are people just like you, having discovered the powers imbued into them, although they've had a bit more experience"**

**The red head, Trixey, bounced forward and got very much in my face, making me flinch reflexively, "Hmmm so this is the druid then? You sure picked a weird one, Stitch."**

**Ian laughed, "He showed a remarkable amount of vitality and spirit, I figured if anyone would be able to handle it, it would be him."**

**Trixey grinned wickedly, her whole face splitting, "So you wouldn't mind if we tested him then, right?" I gulped as she said these words. Stitches laughed, "By all means, just don't leave any marks."**

**Stitches dismissively waved his hand at us and started walking towards the portal, "Oh don't worry, I'll patch up any marks" Trixey growled after him.**

**I started backing away; Trixey was now pulling something from her back…the largest hammer I had ever seen in my life. I was sweating now, she looked like she meant business, I was backing up further and further…then she disappeared.**

**I whirled around, looking for her, but seeing nothing. Then a force like a truck slammed into me. I went sailing towards the wall as that monster of a hammer collided into me, I hadn't even seen her coming. No matter, this valley is my territory.**

**I felt the pull of ancient forces in my abdomen, and I let the power flow freely, transforming this section of the valley into something I could use. Trees sprouted from the ground, climbing the walls, the grass lengthened, and shoots of vines were sprouting everywhere, creating the obstacles I needed. I heard the resounding boom and then the crippling crack, Trixey had slammed her damn hammer into the tree to my left, destroying it.**

**I quickly let my body take shape into the big cat from last night, I'd need muscle. My large form only startled her for a second, but she quickly shook it off and charged again, but this time I was quicker.**

**I had scaled the tree before she could get to me, and used my powerful limbs to shove off the tree, making a bee line for the red headed psychopath.**

**The word **_**baseball **_**flashed through my mind as I saw stars and went flying away, she had sent me flying as I charged at her, the mallet catching me in my ribcage. I was down and out, and I knew it.**

**Quickly I changed back to human form, to assess the damage, a few cracked ribs at best, that cat was durable. I began to patch myself up, when I felt a hand on my shoulder, it was the red head, come to gloat.**

"**You put up a pretty decent fight, rookie, we just need to get you a bit better trained." I did a double take, maybe she wasn't going to gloat; I felt like an ass now.**

"**Yeah, right, I got my ass kicked." I grumbled. "Well, yeah, but as Stitches said, we've had more experience."**

**I snorted and continued using the energy within to patch up my ribs, she grabbed my hand, "You're weak, let me take over patching you up"**

**My grousing continued, but I let up, allowing her to take over. She placed her hands gently on my skin, and I felt warmth from under her fingertips, I blushed slightly, and looked away.**

**Trixey's grin grew, no doubt from my embarrassment, she let the magic flow more, causing my embarrassment to grow. I heard a tinkling laugh from the other side of the field, where Calypso and Alvina still stood, watching the ordeal.**

**I crossed my arms and looked away, too embarrassed for words, waiting for her to finish healing.**

**She ruffled my hair as she finished healing; an almost demeaning gesture, and then she started walking away. "I'll see ya later, kid. Take it easy"**

**I snorted at her retreating form, and caught the eye of Calypso for just a minute, her pixie-like face filled with mirth.**

**Heaving myself off the floor, I started my trek back towards the portal, and consequently, home; where I was sure there would be a very angry girl waiting for me.**

**I checked my watch as I entered my house, 8:36 a.m. if I was lucky, she wouldn't even be awake yet.**

**I gave up that notion immediately upon entering the house, her scent was absolutely **_**everywhere**_**, covering up the small trail I'd left on my way out.**

**As expected, her head popped around the corner as she heard the sound of the door closing. I raised an eyebrow at her attire; she'd ditched her dress and had raided my cupboards, grabbing whatever clothes she felt like. She currently was garbed in a very large t-shirt, and jeans that looked like they might fall off any moment, I stifled a laugh.**

"**Don't you laugh at me!" she scolded, I was momentarily stunned, I was positive I had kept my face blank. "And don't look so stupefied, it doesn't do you any justice."**

"**Well, I can see you've made a complete recovery" I said, my irritation making itself apparent. "Hey! Don't you get snarky with me! I woke up in your bed with a note giving a highly inaccurate run down of what happened last night!" She waved the paper around, "I tripped and gave myself a head injury? Is that seriously the best you could come up with?"**

**A vein bulged on my forehead as I refrained from throwing her out the door. "You got hit by a car. I didn't know how much you'd remember."**

**This didn't settle her temper, "Oh, well I remember **_**everything**_** even your little magic act, which I plan on having explained to me, I'm rather curious how I'm walking right now, regardless of being the victim of a hit and run"**

**I rubbed my temples, "Could you please keep it down? I have a killer headache" I practically saw the steam leaking from her ears. "Keep it down?!? No! I don't think I w" she was interrupted mid-sentence by the piece of fruit I'd shove in her mouth.**

**She promptly ripped the apple from her mouth, "What the hell was that for you jerk! I'm trying to figure out what the hell happened!" and with that declaration, she whipped her arm back and chucked the red spherical fruit at my forehead.**

**Had I been better rested I could have caught it, but I hadn't slept in two days and my reaction time was down. I winced as the apple struck me square in the temple, and then exploded, littering my face and hair with bits of fruit; it looked as if someone had thrown an apple through a blender in front of my face.**

**I saw her mouth hang agape as she realized what she'd done, then her mouth slowly tilted into a grin, and her hand snaked over her mouth, covering it as she began quietly giggling.**

"**Yes. This is hilarious." I said in a monotone voice. She continued giggling her mirth filling her entire body.**

**I sighed and looked in the mirror; I looked ridiculous. "Shelby, I'm going to wash up and then take a nap. You can either wash that dress and go home, or stay here, it doesn't matter to me." And with that, I promptly whirled around and strode into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.**

**I heard her laughter continue for a few minutes as I leaned against the bathroom door, then I heard it quiet and my door open and shut a few times. After a few minutes I heard the washer start up.**

**I quickly disrobed and turned on the shower, letting the painfully hot water pour over me as I thought about what had happened.**

**My thoughts led me back to Shelby; she had known that I was laughing inside my head, even though I was positive I wasn't showing any signs of it on the outside. I quickly discarded the thought, more likely she just guessed.**

**I thought back to Trixey, and quickly found myself blushing again, it'd been a long time since someone had touched me so intimately, and never had someone I didn't even know do something like that.**

**Feet sliding, I almost lost my balance inside the shower as I made a shocking revelation; Shelby had seen me use my powers! I hadn't thought of it earlier, but she said she had witnessed everything…this made things complicated. Oh well, it had been Stitches' idea to let **_**me **_**save her, he could have intervened at any time, so it won't be my fault.**

**I turned off the scalding water and wrapped a towel around my waist. In my hurry to get clean, I'd forgotten to throw some clothes in the bathroom, now I had to make it to my room.**

**The door opened noiselessly and I glanced over at the basement door, it was cracked open, meaning she was still down there doing laundry. Good.**

**My room was right around the corner from the bathroom, so I strode noiselessly down the hallway, and in one quick motion opened the door and slid into my room. As soon as I'd entered the room, I saw something that didn't belong; the seventeen year old girl sitting on my bed sporting a heavy blush. I was about to yell at her for sneaking around my room, when I realized she wasn't actually looking at me, she had a kind of spaced out look.**

**I walked over to her, and moved my hand closer to her; when my hand was a foot from touching her shoulder; she blinked and snapped out of it. She looked around and then up at me, her blush receding slightly. "Er…Sorry M-Mac.." she stammered as she quickly made her way out of my room.**

**I closed the door and slid the deadbolt, locking her out. My hands slid through my hair as I continued dwelling on the problem at hand; what was I going to do about Shelby? I could just exclude her from this whole ordeal; she frankly didn't need to get involved in this, and it was probably better if she didn't. Yes, that's what I had to do, just keep her in the dark and push her out of my life while I dealt with this; it's not like we hung out much in the past anyways.**

**The dull **_**thump**_** of something hitting the wooden floor of my living room caught my attention; the klutz must have dropped something.**

**Slipping my clothes on, I quickly unlatched the door and raced down the hallway, hopefully to repair any damage she'd caused. I rounded the corner in a flash, my gaze sweeping the floor; I saw a small knick in the waxed wood and sighed, nothing serious. I then registered the hand flying towards my face.**

_**Crack! **_**Shelby's hand collided with my face with such a force that it actually sent me staggering backwards a few paces. "How **_**dare **_**you try and exclude me from this, Mac!" Shelby yelled at me, her face red with fury. I blinked, my anger not appearing as it normally would have, for something else had caught my focus; she had once again known **_**exactly **_**what I was thinking. "Shelby, how.." but she interrupted me, "No! You are not allowed to pull off some magic show, save me from getting mauled by the business end of a speeding car, and then just shove it off like nothing happened!"**

**She moved to hit me again, but I was done with this abuse; I had her arm twisted around her back before she could blink. She grunted and struggled, but the effects of the surgery had increased the growth rate of my body, at this point I had the body of a 25 year old man, the muscles on my arms much more pronounced, and my height had increased a good 3 inches.**

"**First off, I want to know how you're plucking my thoughts right out of my head" I whispered in her ear, "After that, I will give you a **_**very **_**brief explanation of what's going on." She had stopped struggling now, "When I have finished doing that, you are going to return to your normal little life with your normal little boyfriend, and forget all about this." This wasn't quite what she'd wanted to hear; the scowl on her face was as deadly as ever, but she had settled down to the point of letting her go.**

**She rubbed her arm where my hand had held it against her back, I noticed with a groan that I had held her too hard, it was beginning to bruise.**

"**I…" she began, and looked around, as if the words would be printed on the walls somewhere, "I'm not sure exactly…but ever since last night, I hear things…voices…well one voice in particular, yours." My eyebrows tightened in a frown, was this some kind of side effects from the rebirthing process, or was she just going crazy? "You're hearing my voice in your head? What is it saying?" I was genuinely curious.**

"**It…well it talks as if I'm not here, like I'm just listening in on a one-way conversation, I eventually realized…well it's what you're thinking…sometimes what you're feeling."**

**My eyes widened in disbelief, there's no way, her experience from the night before must have sent her over the edge, and because there was **_**no way **_**that anyone could read my mind.**

**Her eyes tightened, "I know you don't want to accept this Mac, but something happened last night, and this is a side effect." I was visibly panicking now, such an invasion of privacy! No…my mind had always been a safe zone, always a place where my hidden feelings and thoughts could grow and flourish, safe from the views of modern society. The mere thought of another human being able to read into my inner most thoughts and feelings was disturbing, revolting.**

"**You're lying." I said promptly, though I doubted the words before I even said them, my voice had no resolve; she could have told I didn't mean the words even if she couldn't see inside my head.**

**I held my head in my hands, my fingers twisting through my hair in a painful manner, though it seemed impossible to believe, I had to; even now I could see Shelby squirming irritably, as if she was feeling the same discomfort. **

"**Alright, you can hear my thoughts then?" She nodded, and I mentally trembled, such an invasion made me squirm; she seemed sympathetic, but that almost made it worse. "Fine. I don't know if I can explain it quite in words…so I'll just remember everything that happened, alright?" again she nodded.**

**I let my mind wander into the delicate section of my memories that contained the recollections of the last couple of weeks. I started remembering the accident, the flash of the tail lights, the gurney trip into the hospital, Doctor Skults surgery; that part of the memories made her wince. I skipped the week following that almost entirely, briefly recollecting my changes; she rubbed her arm sub-consciously. Her expression became glazed over when we reached the time of her rebirth; she stiffened when I remembered her face, when she felt the emotions that had run through me. The last few memories were of the return trip, mainly of my transformations.**

**Letting my mind run loose like this was a bit dangerous as it turned out, because try as I may, I couldn't completely block out the memory of her laying sprawled out on my bed, including the not-so-innocent thoughts I'd had.**

**I glanced at her, and though she seemed a little peeved that I'd been thinking such things, she seemed preoccupied by the new flow of information. I doubt that she'd hit me anyways, she'd always called me a perv when we were dating, and frankly, I couldn't deny a single one of those accusations.**

"**Well, I've given you your explanation, now, I don't care how you excuse your absence from your home, but it'd be easier done if you were in contact with your parents." I gestured towards the door.**

**Shelby gave me a blank look, "You expect me to just walk all the way there?" I returned the look, "What do you expect me to do about it? I don't have a license" although my mind wandered to a solution to the problem, one that I didn't **_**want**_** to think, but it slipped into my mind anyways. Shelby's expression at first was curiously hesitant, and then her face lit up with a grin. "No" I said flatly. I turned to head back into my room, but I paused when she snickered. I warily looked around and saw a look that could only be described as scheming.**

"**Well, I suppose you don't **_**have **_**to help me get home, but wouldn't it be a shame if I let slip **_**exactly **_**what you were fantasizing about me last night?" **

**My face paled so fast that I could practically feel the blood race towards the ground. My eyes narrowed in contempt, "You are surprisingly annoying despite your size" I spat, mocking her height; without some form of high heel, Shelby's head barely got past my shoulder. She snickered again; it was like an animal clawing at a cement wall, "That's what makes me **_**soooo **_**adorable though!" My expression was livid as I considered the consequences of what we were about to do.**

**My house had a reasonably large back yard, and right on the boundary of our yard that gave way to federal land, a small stream known as the Baby Baker snaked its way through, this stream was a run off of the Baker river, and unfortunately when it rained, this creek was the first thing to flood around here.**

**We were standing on the banks of the Baby Baker, Shelby was dressed in her dress again. I gazed across the small creek; beyond it was a large field, surrounded on three sides by brush and trees, hiding it from the highway. **

**I clawed within myself, looking for the ancient pull of power I'd felt before, it was much easier now, like looking for the sun as opposed to the moon.**

**My body began to change, slowly at first, but it quickly sped up, my muscles thickening and lengthening, my spine lengthening out and bending, and my hair sprouting. My claws dug into the foamy grass beneath my paws as I finished the transformation, my mane swaying in the slight breeze. I looked at Shelby, she seemed more intrigued than scared; I sighed, that was my last hope of her abandoning this foolishness.**

**She tentatively walked to my side and slid her arm over my back, I felt her fingers lock onto my left shoulder blade and tighten; it didn't hurt, she felt light as a feather to me now. She jumped and swung her leg over my back, and suddenly I realized just how demeaning this was, I felt like a horse.**

**Another thing I realized is just how under dressed she was for something like this, the sensitive skin on my back could feel every drop of blood her heart pumped through her legs. I could feel her settle into place, and that didn't calm my thoughts down, her dress offered zero separation between my skin and hers, it also became apparent that the posture she was in was slowly sliding her dress up her legs.**

**She bopped me on the back of the head, "I know what you're thinking about, you perv."**

**I let a low growl rip through my throat, it was like rolling thunder, and she stayed her hand.**

**My legs began pumping as I started towards the small creek. I felt her posture lower, hiding herself behind my massive skull and burying her face in my mane. I walked slowly at first, not wanting to dislodge her, but slowly moved into somewhat of a trot, my spine bobbing up and down. I felt her squirm on my back and press her face more into my mane, I could also feel an increase of heat along where her face was; was she blushing? The thought seemed to embarrass her more because I felt the heat spike.**

**I noticed how rigid my spine was, I felt sorry for Shelby, it was probably a pain to sit on.**

**I sped up a little, trying to get through this awkward event. I cleared the creek in one bound, startling Shelby slightly, but she managed to hold on. I was now jogging, my powerful limbs carrying my immense body at roughly 15 miles an hour. Shelby was now squirming constantly, almost in-tune with the pumping of my legs, it was becoming almost annoying. **

**The 'eep' I heard come from her indicated that I'd noticed something I shouldn't have. Her breathing was hot and heavy against my neck and I was beginning to wonder just what on earth was going on.**

**I broke into a dead sprint, my body now cruising at a speedy 25 miles per hour, just under the speed limit for the highway.**

**Shelby continued squirming on my back, but my mind was occupied with keeping us moving, I heard her breathing increase in tempo and hitch every now and then, but I attributed it to the speed we were traveling at.**

**We reached her house in a little over 10 minutes; I lazily trotted to her back door after peering into the garage, nobody home.**

**Shelby shakily lowered herself to the ground, almost falling in the process; I heard her mumble a near-silent 'thank you' and shuffle over to the door. I noticed that her face was flushed and her brow had a thin sheen of sweat across it, she reached down with her hands and jerkily pulled her dress back into place as she slipped inside her house.**

**I grumbled to myself and began trotting back towards my house, and as a cool morning breeze blew across the field, I realized that my back was absolutely **_**soaked**_**.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Motions of Normalcy **

Monday eventually arrived, after I spent a half an hour picking up fruit off the floor, and another 2 hours after that reinforcing Shelby's 'alibi' for not returning home Saturday night. In the end, she ended up leaving the party and walking home with a friend of hers, and I was her witness, I supposedly was standing by the chain-link fences that bound our school when I saw her walk away with her friend. I stuck by the story when asked. My mother and sister never caught a whiff of what had actually happened, although they did bring up the town paper, with the front page headline that read, "Local residents missing – Police baffled by lack of evidence" I controlled my face, trying not to let the relief show, instead showing mild surprise, as one would when something like that happened in such a small town.

I strolled off the bus casually, looking around slowly, almost expecting Shelby to come running around the corner, luckily she did not. I did however; see someone who I didn't expect to see in awhile.

The length of crimson hair was the first give away of who it was; she was facing away from me, looking down the row of buses as students unloaded.

I pulled my hood up and quickly started walking parallel to her, dead set on getting to the double doors that would guarantee my safety. I winced when I found the hand on my shoulder. Shakily looking behind me; I gazed into the bright eyes of Calypso, her grin almost staggering.

At some unseen signal, the length of red hair whipped around from her guarding stance and Trixey's beaming face locked with my not-so-enthusiastic one.

"Mac! Were you trying to get away from me?" She said, accusingly. I was vividly aware of how much attention this was drawing.

"What are you doing here?!" I hissed; my impatience and panic rising. She waved her hands peacefully, "Don't worry about it; we're here to break you out for the day."

I gave her a blank stare. "Excuse me?" She looked somewhat disheartened, "What, you mean you don't want to? I thought all kids hated school" I mentally flinched at the word _kid_; I was seventeen for god's sake, that was a little demeaning. "I'm not about to get caught skipping." I said, my voice level. Trixey giggled, "We're not gonna let you get caught, dork." I heard someone give a cat-call behind me. It was then that I realized just what the crazy chick was wearing. Trixey, in all her frightening glory, was wearing a tanktop that only came down just under her chest, leaving her midsection bare, and moderately tight jeans that cut off just above the knees. This was hardly something appropriate for a school ground.

She raised an eyebrow at my wandering eyes, "Calm yourself, skippy, we're on school grounds" and with that, she gave a very deliberate wink.

I snorted and slipped past her, walking again towards the school. Pain shot through me as Trixey quite painfully twisted my arm behind my back and slammed me against the brick wall, we were now quite alone.

"Well, doesn't seem like you've gotten any better since we last met, brat. Maybe you should just roll with our plan. Otherwise, I'm gonna check you out of school with a dislocated shoulder." For emphasis, she twisted my arm further.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a head pop around the corner. _FUCK. _I thought to myself as I saw the worried eyes of Shelby Stanford. It was immediately clear how she found me, the mental connection; she would have felt the pain as well as I did.

I focused as hard as I could into shooing her away, telling her through the connection to scram. She just frowned at me.

Tentatively she stepped around the corner, making a small scuffling noise as her shoes scraped the pavement.

Calypso was gone before I could blink, and before I knew it, she was behind Shelby, one of those wickedly sharp knives at her throat. Fury started welling inside me again, my muscles bulged as I fought Trixey's iron grip, I felt her hold loosening.

"Leave….her….ALONE!" I roared, my arms bulging as I threw Trixey off. Before Calypso could prepare herself, she was surrounded by roots, and was soon entangled, with a dangerous looking needle inches from her neck, leaking a green liquid.

Trixey grinned and charged at me, without a hammer this time. I kicked out at her, but it seemed to go in slow motion as she neatly twirled around it and shot her fist into my stomach, making me double over. She followed up by elbowing my spine, making me cry out.

I gasped in pain, struggling for breath as I tried to refill my deflated lungs. A new dazzling pain filled my vision as Trixey's knee slammed into my face, breaking my nose. In the spur of the moment, I blocked out the pain and grabbed her ankle, I watched in delight as her eyebrows rose in surprise. Conjuring more of the power, I wrapped a thick vine around the leg she was balancing on and pulled her feet out from under her.

Her eyes filled with surprise as she began to fall, and I pushed her ankle up, angling her fall so that she would land on her head, hopefully knocking her out.

A looming shadow engulfed me, and no sooner had I looked around did I feel the cold steel of an enormous axe pressed against my throat. A gigantic humanoid looking thing was behind me, its skin was a reddish color, and its eyes were a flat black. I stopped looking at it when the blade pressed closer into my throat. I heard a cough, and saw Trixey's head being supported by a small white hand; I followed the hand up, and saw the same cloaked figure that had been in the warehouse, Alvina.

Trixey gave me a swift kick in the forehead and pulled her ankle out of my hands, and severed the vine that held her other leg. I looked towards Calypso, and saw the roots holding her burning, they were engulfed by a dull red fire that was leaving her and Shelby untouched.

Shelby's eyes were consumed with panic, and I sent her comforting thoughts, attempting to soothe her, it gradually worked. I delicately touched my nose as the demon's axe pulled away from my throat, my nose was bleeding freely. I placed the palms of my hands on either side of my broken nose, and sharply wrenched it to the side. I ground my teeth together to keep myself from screaming, and kept grinding them until the pain subsided.

"Ahem, well then, are you going to listen to our terms?" Trixey said sweetly, her voice oozing with irritation. I grunted in affirmation as I listened to the tardy bell ring. "Good then! We'll be sure to check you out of class and escort your little friend here to her class."

I sighed and held my hands to my face, letting the green glow consume my senses, allowing the mystical power to repair my broken nose, in a few seconds the pain would cease.

Glancing over at Shelby, I saw her look of worry increase, so I sent her a very vague explanation via the link, and she seemed somewhat content with that, but her brow was still furrowed with doubt.

Calypso led her away, after Shelby explained that she had first period Spanish. Alvina had disappeared during the healing process, leaving just me and Trixey.

She turned to me, the former irritation all but gone, "Sorry about that, but I gotta put up a strong front in front of my team, you know?"

I snorted; still sour from the ass-kicking I'd just received. Her smile turned sympathetic momentarily, and then serious, "Just who was that girl? It was pretty obvious that she knew you."

Pinching my temples, I briefly retold the story with the car accident, carefully leaving out the mental connection. By the end of the story, Trixey's eyebrows had raised considerably, "You're saying all that occurred in less than an hour?" She said, utter disbelief in her voice. I nodded in confirmation.

Her brows furrowed, convinced that I wasn't lying, but at the same time troubled greatly by this information, she noticed my confused expression and elaborated, "Well, you said that you brought someone from the dead, now, that isn't actually as surprising as you might think, but considering you just awoke your powers, they're mediocre at best; these things improve with time." She paused briefly, "It also shocks me that you did it so quickly, I've never revived anyone, but I've been told from people who have that it takes hours at a time to do, and you did it in a fraction of the time."

She looked at me critically, as if looking for something she'd missed before, "Are you feeling depressed, sad, or just out of it in general? Well, even more so than you have been lately" I was kind of thrown off by this question, it was rather random after all, but I dumbly shook my head.

Her hand cupped her chin in a thinking gesture, and then blinked, like she was remembering something. "Doh. We need to check you out, Stitches wanted to talk to about the rules"

I blinked, "The rules?" Trix nodded eagerly, "The rules that we use to stay hidden, guidelines that help our society stay secret. Humanity never accepts things it can't understand"

Trixey got me out of school in record time, saying that she was a college applications director, come to follow up on an application I'd sent in. She'd said something along the lines of me having exceptional potential; she'd even produced a degree that validated her claims.

She was driving a rather large Cadillac, it was deep black, and the windows were tinted. She gestured towards the front seat and I warily stepped into the passenger seat as she hopped into the driver's side.

Leaving the school, she was very careful to look non-descript, keeping to the speed limit and not taking any unexpected shortcuts, which relieved me, I didn't want to be involved in a third car accident this month.

She was unexpectedly careful on the roads, given her personality, I'd have thought she'd be speeding along, happy as can be to out-drive any cops that tried to catch her, but she drove carefully, eyes never leaving the road.

My eyes however, were not so focused on the road; it was maddening how this woman dressed herself, like getting this kind of attention might please her, thinking about it, that's a possibility. My gaze drifted along her mid-section momentarily and I gulped in spite of myself. I was blushing furiously and I didn't quite understand why, I attended a High School where cleavage was as normal to see as class work, and here I was getting flustered over a little skin shown by someone I hardly knew?

Trixey had been silent most of the trip, but I saw her eyes catch mine and her face broke into a startlingly bright grin. I diverted my eyes immediately and looked out the window, embarrassed. She laughed momentarily, only adding to my frustration.

It might have been my imagination, and that possibility was very real, but I could have sworn that I saw a blush of her own coloring her face.

I glanced out the window and recognized where we were, we had pulled down the stretch of road I'd traveled in my cat form, the one leading to the warehouse.

She slid out of the driver's seat as we pulled up to the appropriate warehouse with unnatural grace. I'd traveled through the portal before, but it never seemed to amaze me how the small warehouse could transform into such an enormous valley.

We didn't encounter Stitches at first, Trixey led me on a twisting path through the trees I'd created in my previous adventure here, and soon enough we'd reached a small house. She strode through the front door without knocking, acting as if she owned the place. I skittishly followed her, looking down the hallways just inside the house cautiously.

Stitches was standing at a counter in the center of a small kitchen, his hands pulled through his hair as his eyes thoroughly scanned the piece of paper on the table – They looked like blueprints.

He noticed us as soon as we crossed the threshold into the kitchen, his dark eyes scanning us. It was apparent from the marks under his eyes that he hadn't slept in days.

Not missing a beat, he quickly rolled up the blue and white sheet and stuck it into a drawer under the counter; I briefly saw several more rolled up papers. I noted this drawer for future reference.

He looked at Trixey in slight annoyance, who gave him an apologetic grin, before turning his attention to me. "Ah, Mac, glad you could make it here so promptly."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, Trixey was real persuasive." The good doctor shot her another glance, this one was hard to define, a mixture of worried and annoyed.

"Anyways, since you are discovering your powers to a much more notable extent, I decided that you should be made aware of the Motions of Normalcy."

I blinked. "What exactly are the Motions of Normalcy?"

Skult laughed, "It's really very simple, they're rules, many, many sub-rules that revolve around the largest rule of our society. That rule is 'Do not compromise the organization'"

Stitches walked around the length of the counter, and began talking before I could ask, "The organization is who we 'work' for" he paused, a finger on his chin, "Work is a delicately used term, we don't get paid by them, however, we receive their protection"

Protection. "Why do you need this protection?" I asked, skeptical. Stitches looked nostalgic for a second, his eyes glazing as he looked into the distant past, "The organization, they protect us from a man who has been alive for thousands of years. He is a sadistic, malignant, tyrant who has walked the earth since the Middle Ages. His name is Arthas."

The mere word sent shivers down my spine. "Who is he exactly?"

Stitches looked at me, "Tell me, Mac. What do you know of the Blizzard Corporation?" I blinked. "Blizzard corp? Well, they're an industrial super-giant on par with the Rockefeller industry of the 1920's."

"That's correct. Don't you think it's odd that, though monopolies have been illegal since the early 1900's, that we allow one to continue to blossom in our own backyard?"

He shifted his stance, "Blizzard has been dominating the oil industry for several years now. Other companies are falling apart."

"Why is this allowed?" I was skeptical about this whole thing. It seemed too…unreal. "It's allowed because Blizzard is the last standing support of our countries economy, if they go down, they're taking the United States with them."

I gawked. It never occurred to me that we were relying on one company. "However, in recent months there has been a significant increase on the market. Our country is coming out of its recession and Arthas realizes this. He's buying his support while he can."

"Buying his support?"

"Yes. He's buying off our government. Currently he has 3 of the congress under his payroll."

I shivered. He intended to build an empire. Stitches read the look right off my face. "Yes. Arthas is a present day Hitler, and in this scenario, we are the people he plans to kill off."

Ian straightened up, "Our country is no longer reliant on Blizzard to survive. The organization has deemed it necessary to take the company down, by force."

My eyes widened, "Woah, woah woah, you can't just 'take down' a company! You need connections, resources, and a lot of attorneys! Just charging in and taking it down will not work!"

He seemed to already realize this. "If you want to kill a weed, you have to drag out the roots. We have to kill Arthas"

My blood froze. They were talking about murder. Stitches scoffed, "Don't give me that look, you've killed more people than either of us."

My eye twitched. "I did NOT intend to kill them, and you KNOW it." Stitches eyed me for a short while, "Regardless, my point is still valid."

"Ah, before you go, however, Trixey, you look like you have something on your mind" Stitches said, a knowing smile on his face. "Well…yeah, I was talking with Mac earlier, and from what I gathered, he brought someone back in less than an hour."

Stitches smile widened. "Yes. That's the beauty of a druid, though I'm surprised you weren't aware of this particular ability, Trixey, your own boyfriend is a druid."

The word boyfriend stung. I winced, my true emotions becoming clear to me. '_Idiot. You knew it wouldn't have worked._' I saw Trixey's eyes catch mine, and for one second, I saw a look of sympathy. I wiped my face of emotions, becoming a blank slate.

"Well, he's never revived anyone; I made him promise not to."

Stitches gave her a scorning look, "Trix. Don't let your personal feelings get in the way. If it's called for that he has to revive a comrade, then let it happen."

"Yeah. I understand." She said, her eyes dark.

I decided to speak up, "Why are you so against reviving people? It's nothing short of a miracle."

Trixey's head whipped towards the doctor, "You let him revive someone without telling him!?" she hissed.

Stitches shrugged. "It would have made no difference; you didn't see his resolve that night. He was determined to save her."

The red-head scowled. "You could have at least warned him."

My frustration was palpable by now. "Warn me of what?"

Stitches gave me a somber look. "Mac, we don't have any medics, and no hospitals in our organization. The reason for this, is because any medic we assigned would kill themselves within weeks."

My eyes widened. What was he talking about?

"Healing. It's a funny thing, it seems to fix any wound, cure any ailment. But at what price? When you attempt to heal a person, it drains you physically, yes, but even more-so then that, it drains you mentally. Every time you heal, you give a little bit of your soul, and your sanity to the person who's wounds you heal."

I didn't think my eyes could widen any further. "Reviving is even worse. You give a large portion of your sanity away each time you revive a person, you can easily become depressed, and some people kill themselves after the first resurrection. Druids are no different. Unlike other races, however, you can revive in a much shorter period of time."

I reflected on that night, the roots, wrapping around the seemingly delicate steel, and my hands, pouring my sanity into Shelby's dying heart. I shuddered.

"Why not use normal methods of healing? Medicine? Surgery? Those don't kill your sanity." I argued.

"Mac, medics revolve around the thought of saving people, and of alleviating pain. No matter who we hire, they always end up using the magic; the urge to save their patients is just too strong."

Stitches eyes caught mine. "There's another reason. All depression can be worked through. People can be saved from it; however, that's not always what gets people."

"Your power is a primitive thing. It's consuming, and at times very, very controlling. Those who let their power get out of hand, they devolve, into something much worse. We call them scourge."

My eyes narrowed. Devolve? What exactly did he mean? He read my face yet again. "Arthas, he used to be a paladin, did you know, Trix?" Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "Yes, he used to be an heir, an heir to the throne. His kingdom was invaded, by a powerful force."

Stitches looked nostalgic again, as if he'd been there himself. "The remnants of the fallen Roman Empire, they gathered and attacked the kingdom. Though Arthas' kingdom was strong, they simply were no match for the Roman bandits. Arthas went over his limits in the decisive battle for the kingdom; he lets his powers consume him. What he turned into was a being unlike any before him. His power is unparalleled; no being alive can fight him on equal footing. Going over your limit, and letting your power consume you, it is an ecstasy like no other, the raw power you gain, it's unbelievable"

Stitches sighed; he looked as if he was done talking about the subject. "That was what I wanted to talk to you about, Mac. Keep in mind, the organization may pull you for an assignment. Be good at making excuses for your absences."

I heard the door open, banging lightly on the wall as it rebounded. A deep voice resounded down the hallway, "Hey doc, you here?" the voice had a New York tinge to it.

Trixey's face lit up. "Shiftie!" She squealed as she dashed down the hall.

I kept my face straight as she leapt into the man's arms, leaning in for a kiss. My stomach burned and contorted as I watched the scene.

Stitches seemed to know better than to be fooled by my mask. "Don't feel bad, she's got guys lined up at every corner" my eye twitched, was that supposed to make me feel better?

The man walked slowly down the hallway, eyeing my skeptically, then his face broke out in a grin, "Hey! You must be Mac, the names Dennis, though it'd be more professional to call me Shiftie."

I stiffly shook his hand. How did this man know me? "Trixey's told me all about you! Can't believe you got your butt handed to you that easily though" Trixey clocked him upside the head, and he winced, "Hey, I was just foolin' around, babe."

"Ah, I've heard about you as well." Albeit briefly. I straightened my sweatshirt, "I better be on my way. See ya later, Stitches."

Trixey looked worried, "Don't you want a ride back?" I didn't glance back as I strolled out the door. "I got here before and back just fine"

My body shifted, and the last they saw of me was a dotted tail, whipping around the side of the building.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Official Business**

Thunk! I moaned as my head hit the hard wooden desk for what seemed to be the millionth time today. My eyes drooped sleepily as I glanced up at the clock, 8:35 a.m. 25 minutes to go before I was on my way to my next hell hole of a class.

I heard a snicker in front of me; Shelby had her back to me, working on her final for Spanish, her shoulder's shaking silently as she struggled to contain the laughter. I snorted and rolled my eyes, purposely focusing my attention on her ass to piss her off. Had I been less sleep deprived, I would have been able to dodge the magazine. Thwack. The rolled up weapon nailed me in the side of the head as Shelby's accusing glare settled on me. She mouthed the words 'Ass hole' as she turned back around.

I grinned and let my mind wander…in our short time dating I had learned just what pushed Shelby's buttons. I saw Shelby twitch in her chair, another twitch…a squirm; it was definitely getting to her. I focused more, intent on driving her nuts by the end of the period. She turned around and flat out glared at me, her face slightly flushed. I met her glare with a smug smirk as I finished off my work with a mental picture that made her gasp and turn around, squirming all the more. I snickered to myself and laid my head on my hand again, in a vain attempt to get some sleep.

"_Attention students and staff of Concrete High; we will be having a surprise guest today, and an emergency assembly has been arranged. The assembly will take place directly after 6__th__ period. This will be a formal assembly, so act appropriately. Teachers, be prepared for your classes to be 5 minutes short._"

I narrowed my eyes; this didn't sound quite right. Our school didn't have surprise guests that don't schedule an assembly in advance…and the voice…it sounded like they were trying to impress someone, being so formal and professional. I looked over to Ms. VanCarriager; she was surprised as much as I was, though she covered it well with a mask of disinterest.

My mind pulled at this conundrum, trying to push together the pieces of the puzzle that were in plain view. I sighed and gave up; I didn't have the necessary information to make heads or tails of this.

I'd figure this all out later today, during the assembly.

My fingers tapped on the desk in a rhythmic motion, left to right, left to right. My eyes bore holes into the clock, 1:58 p.m. Two minutes, that's all I had to wait, then I'd be home free to the assembly. I could see Mrs. Spike giving me a disappointed look out of the corner of my eye; I didn't care, I needed to get out of here.

I'd slipped out of my chair, and was half way across the room when the other students detected the ringing of the bell, and I was already out the door by the time they had stood up. I saw that I had a few seconds before people populated the hallway, I briefly shifted, my body becoming elongated, catlike.

I bolted down the hallway, leaping over scattered bags and dodging open lockers, I could hear the sound of door handles turning, the residents of classrooms ready to move to the assembly. I needed to be there first.

I saw a high heel pop around the corner to the assembly area, and I rapidly changed back into the form of a human, and nimbly whirled around the freshman girl treading around the corner, her nose buried in her cellphone. She let out a short squeak, and began to tip backwards, her instinctual reaction to my burst of speed. I sighed as I watched her fall, I could leave her be, and let her break her heel and possibly her ankle, or I could be Mr. Noble. Yeah, bet this is gonna be a toughie for you to guess.

My body turned 180 degrees, and my hand shot out, catching the girl by the small of her back before she could fall all the way back.

She stood there in shock for about half a second before squeaking louder and jumping away from me. She put her phone in front of her in some awkward defensive gesture. I raised an eyebrow at her, and turned around to head up the stairs to the grand stands where me and the rest of my class would be sitting.

I had made it to the top of the stairs when I heard a very timid "thank you" from behind me, and I smiled to myself, had I been a normal human, I wouldn't have been able to hear it. "Not a problem" I shouted back to her, and chuckled when I heard her trademark squeak of embarrassment for the third time.

My pulse was pounding as I scanned the assembly room. Nothing was out of order. A stage had been hastily prepared for the assembly, and the staff that were here seemed to be just as confused as I was.

"Mac? What are you doing here already?" my blood froze. I put on my best smile and turned around, meeting the eyes of Megan Rogue. "Don't you have World Cuisine 6th period?" I heard the implication in her voice; her class is right next door, meaning she should have gotten here first.

"Heh," I scratched the back of my head in a sheepish manner, "The office called me down, had a phone call" I saw the slightest narrowing of her eyes, "Ah, alright, well I'll talk to you later then" She said, adopting her naturally perky attitude.

My eyes followed her as she went to her seat, another complication.

I slid into my seat silently as I watched the students begin to pool in, quickly finding their seats. Within 10 minutes the whole room had filled. No sign of any strangers. The door opened and our principal, Mr. Beazizo walked in, holding a plug-in microphone.

"Attention students, today we'll be having a guest speaker. He is a very important individual, so be sure to give him all of your attention and respect".

He spent a second looking through the crowd, gauging our reactions. I noticed the door slowly opening again, and a polished shoe stepped around it. "Now, without further pause, our guest speaker…" slicked-back hair, a snazzy suit, "All the way from New York City…" sharp facial features, eyes as attuned to detail as an eagle's, deep blue pools, "Representing Blizzard corporation, Mr. Drake Hanscom!"

My blood turned to ice as the man stepped up to the podium. He exuded an aura that absolutely terrified me, and when his piercing blue eyes met mine, I thought my heart would stop. The stench that flowed off him…as potent as a rotting body, smelled of ice, and death…

He opened his mouth, and the voice of death flowed from it. "Aaah, so much potential. I rarely see such untapped possibilities in children…" his voice was like nails on a chalkboard to my ears, the rasping so very piercing. "Students of Concrete High, as the representative for Blizzard Corporation, I'm here to present to you an exciting opportunity". I could see sinister intentions manifesting themselves in his eyes.

"Blizzard Corporation, in its desire to make our beautiful country prosper, has made plans to build a job office here in Concrete. We know how the economy has struggled as of late, and we want to remedy this. Jobs will become available immediately, ranging from apprenticeships, to skill centers across the nation, where you can learn to become a valuable asset to your country."

He grinned, his lips stretching seemingly painfully, "All travel expenses will be paid for, and housing will be provided. Now, as you will be expected to move from state to state on a minutes notice, you will be required to live in the pre-prepared housing development at each site."

I heard murmurs in the crowd. To kids that have been stuck in the same small town all of their lives, this would be the chance of a lifetime. I scowled, I couldn't let this assembly continue, whatever this man was doing, it couldn't be good.

The power raged silently within me, connecting me to all of the sources of nature around me, more specifically, to the enormous oak tree outside the assembly building.

I felt it, the growing, roots wrapping, entangling, crawling their way up the side of the building…into the ventilation system…

My eyes drifted upwards, towards the vent directly above the podium. I saw the vine, drifting lazily downwards…towards the hanging light hanging perilously above the man's head.

The root worked swiftly, pulling screws, dislodging parts, slowly dismantling the hanging light.

Only one sound was heard through all of the assembly room, the low clink of metal snapping. The light plummeted to the ground, preparing to impact with Mr. Hanscom's fragile skull. My eyes widened as his neck snapped up, MUCH faster than even I could move, and from his hand extended a tendril of dark energy, dragging the falling light directly two feet to the left, causing it to harmlessly slam into the floor.

All of the above happened in a fraction of a second, and was no more than a blur to anyone's eyes but mine. My rage was palpable as I rapidly withdrew the vine, erasing all evidence of the attempted assassination.

Alarms went off, and as the staff ushered panicking students out the door, his eyes met mine once more, and they held a message, '_I know what you did_'.

Messages boomed over the intercom, demanding that all students leave the Gym and prepare to go home, and I raced out the door, I had to get away, otherwise this man would kill me.

I burst out the door and shifted as soon as I was out of sight, scaling the wall as nimbly as I could, and began racing across the rooftops of the school, in a direct bee-line to the forest.

My last obstacle, a flat run of roof that led to the overhang over the road, leading up to the school. From there I could carefully jump my way down to ground level via the artificial boulders lined up near the overhang. I made my leap, claws outstretch towards the first of the boulders. I felt a tightening around my neck, followed up by a violent yank backwards, towards the roof I had just jumped off of. I shifted back to human as I crashed down on the roof, my hands weakly pulling at the dark bind around my neck.

I felt my windpipe being constricted, any tighter and it would be crushed. "So you're the brat who tried to kill me" a raspy voice said. I feebly looked around, my eyes landing on the form of Mr. Hanscom, his eyes sharp and deadly, prepped to kill; dark energy exploding from his hands, wrapping itself around my neck.

He lifted me into the air again, and I felt colors flash in front of my eyes as the oxygen was cut off from my brain. "No child is going to stop me from completing the masters' will!" he yelled and slammed me back into the roof, my face skidding on the pavement.

I pulled at the binds on my neck, my breath coming out in short gasps, my vision was fading, he was slowly asphyxiating me.

A last shaky breath escaped my throat as I blacked out.

I squinted through the blackness; a dim light was peering through, piercing my pupils. I tried to draw in a breath, but couldn't.

My eyes burst open as my hands clawed at my neck again, I frantically looked around. Where was I?

A breeze fluttered against my cheek, I was being held by my neck off the Cement Silo's. Gigantic towers that stood hundreds of feet in the air. I was able to draw a weak breath, briefly relieving my aching lungs.

"So you've awakened. Good. I hope you're prepared to see the consequences of interrupting the masters' plan" the voice of Drake whispered behind me. I could feel his clammy fingers flexing against my jugular.

I flailed, struggling with all my might to unlock his iron grip, but to no avail. The man was holding over 200 pounds in one hand, effortlessly.

"Now, without further ado…die." I felt his fingers release, and I felt the odd sensation of weightlessness as I began my free-fall to my doom.

I watched in horror as he smiled at me and as he slowly turned his back and walked back towards the staircase. The door was on the opposite side of where I'll be found. He won't be seen anywhere near the scene of the crime.

My mind, racing on the power of adrenaline, raced through every possibility. No trees or plants of any kind, no dice there. I briefly considered dying in my cat form, so my family wouldn't know that I died. No point, they'll at least want the closure.

No, no, no, no, no, no. I couldn't die here…there has to be something I can do. Something…anything…I can't…I won't die here…there has to be some way…not here…I refuse…I WILL NOT DIE!

An explosion of pain, and a ruffling noise filled my senses as I felt my body shift, contorting into something I hadn't experienced before.

I opened my eyes, and was astounded. Every detail was crystal clear like nothing I had ever seen before. I moved my arms, and felt a strange type of fabric on them, I looked and saw my arms covered in something…not a fabric, feathers…and not arms…wings.

'_No…fucking…way'_ I thought to myself.

It was at that moment that I became aware of how alarmingly close the ground was, less than 30 feet.

At my speed, opening my wings rapidly would rip them off; I had to do it slowly…

Gently I felt my wings unfold, slowing my fall. At ten feet from the ground, I ripped my wings open fully. I slowly tilted my fall from a drop into a diagonal slant, pumping my wings forward. I managed to barely level out, my feet almost touching the dirt below.

I pushed myself harder, adjusting my wings and tail, angling my flight to go over the silos, where I saw Drake just getting into the passenger seat of an expensive looking Limo. He thought I was dead. Good.

I banked sharply to the left, directing my flight towards the sunset, where I would find the storage unit that held Stitches. He would know what to do.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Follow up**

My wings faltered in their rhythmic pattern; up, down, up, down. My heart rate was up, my eyes blurry as I shot through the night sky.

I rasped out a cough, my lung feeling constricted, as if the bastard's fingers had never left my throat. Something was wrong; halfway through the trip I had started feeling weak, almost paralyzed. I felt something…an essence…a presence…some _force…_inside me. It was dark and cold, crawling through my body, gripping my organs, compressing them. I could barely keep my eyes open from lack of air.

I had already tried to remove the…malignance…with my own force, but to no avail; it was like the darkness nimbly slipped through the fingers of my own powers.

My eyes darted anxiously, trying to discern the numbers on the storage unit's as I flew over them. I spotted the correct unit; it was about 500 yards away, and had a small gathering in front of it. Two people were climbing out of a dark SUV. '_Thank god…it's Trix…'_ my thoughts cut out as I blacked out, my form beginning to plummet downwards, in a diagonal spiral towards the unit's door.

The lack of consciousness in my mind caused my body to begin shifting back to it's natural form, that of a human.

Over 200 pounds of flesh and bone slammed in a head-on collision with the storage unit's door, tearing a hole straight through it, and warping my body through the portal.

"….ow long…e been uncon…?" my body contorted and strained, the darkness crippling me, constricting my organs. "I don't…e came crashing through… door" my mind faded in and out of consciousness, before an unusually strong burst of pain shocked me into consciousness.

I was strapped down to a gurney in the small house inside the portal, my memory gradually started coming back to me…Drake…Flying…The Darkness…

"Mac! You're back!" my eyes lazily rolled to the left of me, Trixey was standing over me, her hands pressed over one another on my chest, a soft golden glow over them. The glow pulsed, and darkened significantly, before releasing a small puff of smoke and returning to it's normal glow. My teeth ground together in pain.

"Don't…wanna…be…back…..urgh…" I managed to grumble out, while Trixey had the gall to giggle at me. "What happened, you fucking idiot? Try and take on Arthas yourself?" I jolted at the sharpness in her voice, before her words sank in. "Urgh…no…rep from Blizzard…at my school…tried to kill him…"

She tsk'd at me; "You're lucky you made it here, otherwise you would have died. Your body was absolutely littered with the remnants of dark magic."

"Yeah…he landed a few good hits on me…" I struggled to sit up, but she forcefully shoved me back down, glaring at me all the while. "Why did you try and attack him if he was so obviously stronger than you?" her voice was demanding, but worried and irrational at the same time.

"I didn't try and engage him…I tried to assassinate him." At her shocked expression, I elaborated; "I loosened the bolts on a hanging light, in an attempt to crush his skull in."

Her eyes narrowed, "How did you loosen the bolts?" My eyes glanced downwards, "I used roots."

She slapped a hand over her face, and comically dragged it down. "Well, that explains how he knew it was you. He detected you using your powers."

I was about to retort when a new voice spoke up, "Mac, I cannot fully explain to you how absolutely stupid your actions were."

My eyes landed on Stitches, dressed in his usual hospital attire and holding a clipboard, "There may be a day when you are strong enough to face that man, but that day is not now". I only stared at him impassively.

Stitches sighed, "Look, I know you want to help, but getting yourself killed isn't going to help anyone. When you've had proper training, then you can attack Arthas' forces fully."

I narrowed my eyes, "Proper training? How exactly do you train something like this?" I now pushed Trixey's hands aside and sat up, despite her agitated look; "I've discovered most everything about my powers, there isn't anything else to learn."

Stitches sighed once more, and rubbed his temple, muttering something about teenagers. "Very well, if you can beat Trixey, then I'll concede." The blood drained from my face. "N-now just wait a second! You said that Arthas was a Paladin, and now he's supposedly the strongest being in the universe! How can I possibly match up to a Paladin?" I heard Trixey grind her teeth behind me, "Arthas is a _scourge._ That is where his unspeakable power comes from, not the fact that he is a Paladin." Trixey then abruptly stormed out of the room, her fists clenching.

My heart sunk; Trix was mad at me. I look at Stitches, my jaw hanging slightly. He glanced casually down the hallway Trix had stormed down before turning to me, "She doesn't take well to people saying that Paladin's are strongest, mainly because she has been beaten in combat just as many times as the rest of us. It makes her feel self-conscious and inferior." I tried to defend myself, but Stitches cut me off; "Mac, she's absolutely correct. Paladin's are no stronger than anyone else; Arthas was just an exceptionally gifted Paladin."

My face dropped, shame and embarrassment clouding my features; my heart sunk even lower as I replayed the scene in my head. Stitches sighed and rubbed his temples again, "The first step to getting better is to improve your hand-to-hand combat. In most battles that is what is going to count." He paused and looked down at his clipboard momentarily, "Since you're new, and need to get better as quickly as possible, I'm going to see if you can take lessons from Calypso, as she is our most talented physical combat specialist." He grinned to himself, "I'll recommend not using the poisons."

The small remaining amount of blood in my face drained quickly, my mind drifting to those wickedly sharp knives.

Stitches sent a serious look my way, "Mac, this isn't football camp, alright? If you don't have 110% of your effort into this, you will fail, and probably die" I nodded dumbly, only half listening.

I snapped out of my stupor when the door to the room was slammed open, the doorknob indenting into the opposite wall. Trixey strolled into the room, her gigantic hammer slung casually over her shoulder; she looked at me with cold indifference. "You. Me. Outside. Now." I gulped and looked at Stitches for help, who only shrugged. Trixey did a 180 and strolled back out into the open valley, closing the door behind her. "You pissed her off Mac. Don't run away from this, it'll only piss her off more, and besides, this will be good combat experience." He glanced worriedly down the hall, "If you don't take this seriously, she could permanently cripple, or even kill you. Be careful."

I slid off the table and stretched, wincing. My muscles were still sore, and my back was a mess from when I crashed through the door; I could feel my bones popped out of place. I tapped into the power inside myself, feeling it warm my muscles, easing the aches, and pushing bones back into their rightful sockets and spaces. I stretched experimentally and was relieved at the lack of pain.

The valley was eerily quiet as I stepped through the broad doorway, any and all wildlife seemed to have disappeared, though it was obvious as to why; Trix was radiating a deadly aura, her intent to kill was obvious.

I barely got a seconds notice before she charged, her hammer flailing around her. She made a downward swing at me, the hammer burying itself into the topsoil as I managed to skate away. Her breathing was erratic, and she seemed to be consumed with rage; her movements would be sloppy.

Acting outside the norm, I charged at her, surprising her for an instant. Her eyes narrowed and she pulled her hammer upwards, ripping it out of the ground and creating a huge fissure. Her hammer sailed through the air, aimed at my head. '_She really is trying to kill me.'_ I blinked and ducked, the hammer sailing overhead, but she didn't stop swinging. Using the hammer's momentum, she swung 360 degrees and brought it back down on top of my head.

My hands flew up, in a split second decision, to catch the hammer.

I felt all the bones in my arms shudder and creak, rattling my frame. Several pops and snaps could be heard throughout my body as the colossal hammer collided with my open palms. My feet were pushed several inches into the dirt, my legs straining under the immense force. I clenched my eyes and tried, but couldn't completely shut out the shriek of pain.

My self-control lapsed momentarily, but I quickly pulled myself together, my fingers wrapping around the headpiece of the hammer, trapping her weapon.

Her eyes widened, and I used her surprise to my advantage and commanded hundreds of roots to shoot up and wrapped around the hammer, pulling the murder device free of her grip, and burying it under the soil.

I smirked, my reckless plan had actually worked.

My smirk quickly fell off my face when she screamed and flew forward, her fists lashing out. I caught her first fist, but cried out as the bones in my arms snapped, weakened from stopping the hammer.

Her second fist caught me in the gut, knocking the air out of me and sending me sailing backwards. I couldn't even form a thought by the time she was on top of me again, sending me flying into the dirt, breaking at least two of my ribs.

I weakly pulled in a breath as I stared up at her; her cold eyes looking at me as if I were a stain. _'Something's wrong here…very…very…wrong…_' My thoughts grew weaker as I struggled to breathe. She placed a foot on my throat, gradually increasing the pressure.

Unconsciousness took over my mind before I could say anything.

I woke up for the second time today on a gurney. My eyes slowly creaked open, the bright lights of the portal house prompting me to close them. I coughed weakly, as my throat was still sore from being compressed. I felt a pair of fingers gently probe my neck, and I winced; "Sore?" Stitches' voice inquired. I nodded, unable to form words.

I cracked open my eyes and looked over Stitches, who was currently dressed in his usual white lab coat; "She really did a number on you. Two broken ribs, 2 snapped, both your femurs are cracked, your left arm is broken, and your throat is severely bruised." He flipped a page on his clipboard and jotted a few things down, "However, you will be relieved to know that it wasn't personal." I snorted and rolled my eyes, pointing at my throat, and hopefully the shoe print that was sure to be there. "Yeah…I understand, but after you blacked out, I managed to get her off you and examine her. The dark magic she extracted had a dual purpose; kill you, and corrupt anyone who removed it, forcing them to kill you."

My mouth formed a grimace, and I brought my hand up to my neck, and sighed in relief when I felt the magic soothe my aching throat. My voice was raspy when I first spoke, "So…she never intended to kill me?" Stitches smiled, "No. In fact, she's been in and out of here every 5 minutes to check in on you, she's been worried sick." A grin broke out on my face as a strange giddiness formed within me; she wasn't mad after all.

Footsteps echoed down the hall and I bit my lip as Trixey entered the room. Her eyes were bloodshot, evidence that she had been crying profusely, and her hands were wringing together feverishly, her anxiety apparent.

Her eyes widened, and before I could gather my bearings I was being tackled across the room. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...oh god Mac I am so sorry!" Trixey nearly screamed, her face buried in my shoulder as I felt fresh tears form, dampening my shirt.

"Er…It's okay Trix, no blood, no foul, right?" I said, trying to cheer her up. She looked at me in bewilderment, "No blood? I broke your arm and stepped on your throat! How is that no blood!" The last part was a nearly a shriek, followed by her breaking into tears again. I looked to Stitches for help, but he'd conveniently slipped away, leaving nobody in the room but me and Trix. I awkwardly patted her on the back, thinking back to my time with Shelby for some form of guidance…but dropped that idea quickly. "Trix…it's okay, really. I know that you didn't want to do any of that." She looked up at me and sniffed, "If you tell my team that I cried, I really will kill you." I laughed nervously, "Wouldn't dream of it."

I awkwardly stood up, aided by Trixey, and froze. It occurred to me that it was still a school night, and that my mom _was_ indeed home. I nervously looked at the clock, and went slack-jaw. Three a.m.

"Trix…I need to go. Pretty sure my mom's called the FBI by now." And with that, I dashed out the door, my bones hollowing, and my skin morphing into feathers before I'd even crossed the threshold. I had about 10 minutes to think up an exceptional lie.

My eyes drooped sleepily as I pulled myself out of bed. I glared at my offending alarm clock; the little bastard ringing its shiny golden ass off.

Explaining my late night excursion hadn't been as hard as I'd imagined; I simply said that I'd gone to a friend's to study for a history exam, and fell asleep while on a study break. The lie went over smoothly, despite the fact that this would have been the first ever recorded occurrence of me studying for _anything._ I snorted and shrugged, no need to be skeptical of every streak of good luck I get.

The scant remainder of my free morning passed quickly and uneventfully, my body barely operating on the meager 3 hours of sleep I'd acquired. Before I knew it, I was getting off the bus to school.

My eyes widened slightly as I saw Shelby walking speedily towards me. I mentally sighed and continued walking towards her; I didn't have the energy to avoid her. She grabbed my wrist and began forcefully dragging me to a less trafficked area, coincidentally the area where Trixey and I had 'talked'. I noticed balefully that I'd garnered a number of odd looks from passing classmates. Shelby whipped around, and proceeded to verbally whip me; "What the hell happened to you yesterday! After the assembly…and I do want to know what the hell you had to do with that by the way, all I could feel from you was fear and anxiety. There were times where you just went…blank! I was up almost all night wondering what the hell was happening…" the last part was almost a whisper, and I tried to keep my mind and face neutral, "Nothing important happened. Forget all about it." And with that, I put on my best smile. Shelby's eyes were dangerous as they locked with mine, "Don't you lie to me you son of a bitch. I haven't had the option to 'forget about it' since you brought me back from the fucking dead. I think I've been very, very tolerant about this whole secretive shit." She crossed her arms and nearly snarled at me.

I sighed; "Well…what exactly do you want to know?" Shelby's eyes softened, and she rested her hand on my upper arm, "I want to know why you tried to kill somebody yesterday…and why you've been so secretive about this whole…" she struggled for an appropriate word, "thing…" she finished lamely.

A shallow breath passed through my lips as I struggled to think of the right way to explain all of this, "Yesterday…that man that was speaking…I can't explain to you appropriately why I needed to kill him, but I do need you to understand that I had only the best intentions." Shelby obviously wasn't happy with this answer, but she didn't press it, offering me to go on, "and…I've been secretive…because this entire situation is very delicate, and even I don't know everything yet."

Shelby's eyes narrowed, and shifted from left to right several times before widening considerably; she gaped slightly before asking her next question, "Mac…are you involved with the CIA?"

My lips twitched, and I uttered a snort before busting out laughing, my arms wrapped around my sides as I leaned on the side of the building for support. "ahahaha….the…the …the CIA? AAAHAHAHAHAHAHA" my laughter boomed uncharacteristically. After several minutes I managed to compose myself again; Shelby was not amused.

Trying to save myself from several months of inconveniences, I waved frantically; "No, no, no, I'm not in the CIA. Not a terrible guess, I just found the idea of me working for the CIA…rather humorous."

The ringing of our warning bell interrupted our conversation, and Shelby assured me that she would get more information eventually; I begrudgingly said okay, no purpose arguing with her about it. Not 10 seconds after Shelby had gone to class, I sensed another presence.

Turning around, I wasn't terribly surprised to see Trixey standing casually in front of me, anxiety written across her face. I smiled warmly at her, and the anxiety gradually disappeared from her face; she was still worried about my standing with her. She walked up to me slowly, reading my body language carefully; I made sure to be as relaxed as possible. "What can I do for you, Trixey?" my voice almost unnaturally serene. Trixey spoke, her voice portraying the hidden anxiety below the surface, "Stitches sent me to pick you up; time for your first lessons with Calypso."

I groaned loudly, my fingers rubbing my temple. Perfect, now Calypso was going to beat the tar out of me when I'd barely gotten any sleep.

Trixey checked me out once more, using a slightly altered version of her previous story, and soon we were on the road again. Trixey white-knuckled it the whole way there; I was quickly becoming annoyed with this reserved version of her.

We didn't encounter anybody until we got to the small shack, where we met up with Calypso. She was wearing a skin tight bodysuit which had small patches cut out near the limbs to allow for added flexibility. I turned red immediately, I'd seen less revealing bikinis.

She saw my frustration and giggled, walking out the back door of the shack. Trixey's face was impassive as she followed her out, with me quick on her heels. A small ring had been set up in the back, no doubt used for spars and other assorted fighting. Calypso hopped onto the fence with her hands and nimbly swung her legs over, beckoning me to do the same.

I quickly leapt over the fence and faced her, settling into a casual defensive stance. She smiled at me, "Now then, before I can accurately teach you anything, I have to know how you fight. We're going to fight for a few hours, and I'll fix your shitty fighting style after that." I narrowed my eyes, but didn't retort, as she was right; I was doing nothing more than brawling. She grinned cheekily and put her hands on her hips before beckoning me, "Well then, come on. Don't have all day you know. Remember, only hand to hand, none of that druid crap." I snorted and looked over her figure, she was standing casually, her weight supported on her back leg, giving no appearance whatsoever that she was about to fight.

Deciding to fight safely, I slowly circled her, trying to find any obvious blind spots; I couldn't find any. When I was behind her, I charged forward, my fist raised and prepared to smash into the back of her head. My eyes widened comically as she bent forward and brought her leg up, knocking my wrist clear into the air, and colliding with my chin. I flew backwards, and landed gracefully on my ass.

I glared at her, while replaying that scene in my head; she must have reacted purely on her sense of hearing. She giggled at me, still balanced on her right leg, while her left was still in the air. Trying to not give away my intentions, I propped myself up on my arms. Quick as I could, I shot my leg out for a bastardized sweeper kick, trying to knock out her foot from under her. Only air met my leg as it passed right under her, the combat specialist having jumped into the air, her leg already set up for a drop kick. I managed to roll out of the way, her foot burying an inch into the topsoil. I kicked out at her leg, but once again only touched air as she had already withdrawn her leg.

I scrambled to my feet and launched myself out her again, launching into a flurry of punches and kicks, which she nimbly dodged. I broke away and skidded to a halt, my breathing coming in as gasps; "How do you expect me to hit you?" I yelled at her, which only caused her to giggle, and then disappear in a burst of speed.

"I never expected you to so much as lay a finger on me." Her voice whispered from over my shoulder as I felt her arms drape lazily over mine, her knives at the ready, the tip lightly resting against my jugular. "This little scuffle is purely so I can observe your fighting style…or lack thereof." I gulped as she whispered into my ear, her lips centimeters away from my ear and her body pressing against mine; that body suit left nothing to the imagination.

"Alright frisky, if you're done fondling your student, could we get back to business?" Trixey's voice announced from behind me; I was too shell-shocked to even move.

Calypso slid away, lightly skipping to stand on the other side of the ring; she giggled again as she saw the petrified state of my body. Trixey's firm punch to the back of my head woke me from the miniature comatose state I'd been seduced into.

I blinked owlishly at her, and managed to pull myself to my feet. Trixey's anxiety attack seemed to have left her, in place of a carefully neutral attitude, although it was somewhat colder than was usual for her.

I decided to dismiss it for now; I had a combat specialist to throw punches at.

As the thought left my mind, I charged again, grinning all the way.

**Author's Note**: Alright boys and girls, that concludes chapter seven. I appreciate all of the support and reviews, most notably from the lovely woman that Trixey portrays, and several other individuals that I would love to mention, but I know that they value their anonymity.

Oh, and since I haven't mentioned this by now, all characters in my story are fictional and any similarities between them and real individuals are purely coincidental and should be considered negligible, particularly in a court of law. *cough* Don't sue me *cough*

As for pairings…yeah, not sure where I'm going to go with this. As I am the main character, I'll be personally biased, but I'll try and make sure the pairing makes sense. =P

I am semi-pleased with the number of reviews, though I don't think it would kill some of you people to type me a simple sentence or two to give me an idea of what you think. This doesn't apply to those of you that have other means of contacting me. (You know who you are.)

I'll be trying to update again as soon as possible, but my internet situation has been FUBAR lately, so I've had trouble getting these damn chapters up. However, if you're reading this, then that probably means that the internet guys that I'm expecting in a few hours probably got here.

Until next time,

That guy whose story you're reading.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Interruptions**

**2 months later**

_Calypso's body swayed back and forth as she slowly crawled across the bed towards me, a seductive smile on her lips. She wore nothing but that skimpy bodysuit and my heartbeat sped as she moved closer and closer. Her hand touched my knee, then lifted up to my chest…slid upwards to gently touch my cheek. I drew a sharp breath as she pressed her lips to my neck, slowly moving upwards until her breath grazed my ear; "Don't be afraid…just relax…and let me do all the work…." I couldn't breathe as her lips moved across my cheek, before finally settling over mine…_

I jolted awake as the alarm clock began shrieking, sweat rolling off my brow. My hand clenched over my heart, in a vain attempt to stop the pounding. It had been a month and a half since I had started my training with Calypso, and now the bloody succubus haunted me in my dreams. I didn't know whether my mother's blind eye to my sheet washing was a blessing or an ominous warning, as I'd never done this much laundry in the past, and my mother had always been known for her acute eye for change.

Shrugging it off, I nimbly jumped out of bed, breathing a sigh of relief as I noted that my body had behaved itself last night.

It was the last week of school, my 18th birthday having come and gone the month before. (Calypso had been quite excited to learn that it was now legal to continue tormenting me) I now was just concentrating on getting through this last week.

My feet dragged as I trudged through the hallways; apparently my sleep hadn't been all that great because I was now feeling like I hadn't slept at all.

I yawned and slugged onwards, almost walking past an offshoot hallway that led to the normally locked gymnasium, when something caught my eye. The door was unlocked and slightly ajar.

Now, normally I would ignore such a small infraction of the norm, but my increased hearing picked up on noises coming from inside the Gym; noises that no normal human would have heard.

I carefully pushed the door open and lightly stepped inside. It was dark inside, the lights were shut off and the windows sealed. The only shed of light coming from the bathroom door that was slightly ajar. My ears twitched as another noise came from the bathroom…crying? I could definitely hear some kind of sobbing, and shuffling. There was more than one person in there. My eyes narrowed as a whimper escaped from the almost closed door, and a resounding smack traveled through the gym, bouncing off the acoustic walls.

The crying renewed itself, and my eyes narrowed further yet as I closed the distance between myself and the door, and brutally kicked it open, the door handle leaving a hole in the opposite wall.

The sight awaiting me was horrifying.

It was the girl, the one from before the assembly, the little freshmen girl who had almost run into me. She was curled into the fetal position on the ground, her skirt torn slightly, and her shirt askew and pushed up. Her hair was messy and thrown about, and a bright red mark adorned her cheek.

Leaning over her were three boys. Seniors.

Brandon Kayles. Johnny Korne. Ryan Jeridan.

All three turned towards me, and the girl's eyes widened. I saw the fear in her eyes. I knew what I'd just walked in on.

Brandon sneered at me. "Walk away, Junior. Pretend you didn't see this."

I laughed, despite the rage welling up inside me. "Now, now, Brandon. That wouldn't be very chivalrous of me, would it?" He raised an eyebrow, "What do you plan to do about it? We outnumber you, kid."

My eyes drifted around me, I would be at a disadvantage in this tight space. It would be better for me if I fought in a more open area.

Grinning, I started sprinting towards the door I'd kicked in, "Well, I bet Beazizo would loooove to hear about this!"

Brandon's eyes widened and he whipped his finger at me, "Get him!"

I dashed into the darkness and flicked on the lights, just as Brandon and his friends walked into the gym. The room lit up, and Brandon frowned. "Tired already? You didn't really run all that far."

Folding my hands behind my head, I shot him a grin, "Well, I figured it would be more energy efficient just to kick your ass. Pay back for running me over."

His eyes widened, and then a grimace darkened his face. "You're the fucker who put a dent in my truck. You're dead"

The three of them started running at me, and I wasted not a second. Dropping down, I swept Ryan's feet out from under him, then rolled forward and slammed my heel down on his throat. I rolled to the side and avoided the shabby kick aimed at my head, and promptly grabbed the heel of Johnny, who had tried to kick me. I grinned at him and twisted his heel sharply to the side, breaking his ankle and sending him sprawling to the floor.

Brandon charged forward, oblivious to his friends' cries of pain, anger blinding his senses. He thrust his fist forward and I blandly caught it. His look of surprise only fueled my hate as I twisted his wrist backwards, ignoring his cry of pain. A quick flick of my wrist, and a snap resounded, his wrist bone shattering.

The resounding shriek of pain bounced off the acoustic walls. I winced internally, praying to whatever higher power that nobody had heard that.

He rolled on the ground next to his friends, each of them cradling their injuries, moaning and groaning in pain.

"Consider this a warning. If I hear my name being connected to this, and not only will you three be labeled as rapists, I'll hunt you down and kill you shortly afterwards. Good day."

I walked back to the bathroom, and took a quick look through it. It would seem that the girl had slipped away when I'd been pre-occupied. Great, just another liability.

The way back to the main school hallway was dark, so I didn't notice the added presence until she spoke. "Th-thank you…"

I whipped around, startled, and faced the girl that spoke. It was the freshmen girl, hiding in a small offshoot of the hallway, her arms crossed over her torn shirt. I breathed a sigh of relief, "Hey, are you alright?" I asked warily.

She nodded, obviously trying her best not to break into tears. "Yeah, I'm f-fine…I promise I won't tell anyone that you beat them up…just don't tell anyone what they did to me…"

Rage boiled up inside of me, and I considered going back and killing them, when I reigned in control of myself. "Thank you…I would very much appreciate that. I promise that I won't tell anyone what happened to you"

Seeing her squirm uncomfortably, trying to keep her shirt attached, I sighed. "Here," I took off my sweatshirt and handed it to her, "Use this until you can get some new clothes. Drop in front of locker 264 when you're done with it."

She smiled and took the sweatshirt. "Thank you, again. If you ever need anything, just ask!" and with that, she ran out the door and banked a sharp right, dashing down the hall.

I leaned against the wall and counted to 50 before following her out the door. People could have easily misinterpreted that little scene. Not to mention that she's wearing my sweatshirt.

With that out of the way, I gingerly lowered myself to the ground and decided to catch some z's until class started.

The annoying ringing of the bell was what woke me up. Well, that and the ambulance sirens; I think it was safe to assume by that point that someone had found the asshole brigade that I'd crippled.

On my way to Spanish, I stopped by my locker to pick up my binder. "Hey, did you see the new girl? She's a total babe, dude" My eyes slid in annoyance over to my left, looking at the two idiots gossiping. The urge to bash their brains in was impossibly huge.

I'd just barely turned around, when the context of their conversation actually clicked. New girl?

That's strange. Getting new students in this rickety old school was a rare thing indeed. I would have to poke around about this 'new girl' later.

I yawned and made my way towards class.

The door to Spanish hadn't even fully opened before Shelby ambushed me. She popped around the corner from the girl's bathroom, spotted me, and had already hooked her hand around my collar before I could react.

I half-gagged, and comically tried to escape, as my friends got to laugh at me being dragged backwards by the strange girl.

She stopped pulling me and turned around, a radiant glow on her face.

"Mac! I can't believe what you did!"

Oh no. If this was about what I think it's about, then I would never hear the end of it.

"You saved that girl!"

Fuck.

"Just how did you find out about that?" I mumbled, rather pissed off by this turn of events. Shelby grinned and pranced a little bit. "That weird connection thing is doing it. If I concentrate really hard, I can kind of get a grasp on what's going on based on what you're feeling and thinking. It's like I was right there!"

I sighed and looked her dead in the eye. "Do not text anyone about this. Do not write a letter to somebody about this. Do not speak to anyone about this. Pretend that it never happened."

She smirked, "Well yeah, obviously. It was sooooo cute though! I've never seen you do anything like that!"

"Yeah. I try not to make a habit out of it." Shelby giggled, and then turned somewhat serious. "It was really sweet of you Mac. It's a shame you couldn't have been like this…" She stopped mid-sentence, "Anyways, I need to get to class, so do you" then she whipped around speedily, and walked back to class.

Though she stopped herself early, I still knew what she was going to say '_...when we were dating'_

I sighed and banished the though from my head, following her to class as well.

I winced inwardly as the bell rang, my hand 3 centimeters from the door handle. One more neat little thing.

I opened the door and shuffled in, ignoring the ringing in my ears from the overbearingly loud intercom above the door that was currently sounding the bell. Mrs. VanCarriager waltzed over to the door and closed it behind me. "Ah Quico! Tu es tarde a clase!" I rolled my eyes. "Si, Senora. Lo siento"

She laughed, "Alright, well since this is a first offense, I won't write you down, but sit down, I have an announcement."

I shuffled to my seat and sat down, noting that Shelby seemed more tense than usual. She tensed up even more after hearing that.

"Clase! Atencion por favor!" the good teacher spoke, her eyes beaming as usual. "We have a new student today! She will be spending this last week of school with us, and then will continue to be attending next year!"

My eyebrows shot up. She was either a sophomore or a junior, I had never heard of a senior taking Spanish 1. The sound of a chair pushing itself across carpet caused me to whip my head around, and my eyes beheld the most outlandish thing I had ever seen.

She was wearing light red sneakers with white socks that went halfway up her calves. She had a skirt that went about halfway down her thighs, and a sleeveless top that revealed her shockingly toned arms. Her eyes locked with mine and I could see the giggle brewing just behind her lips, her chocolate eyes beaming with mirth, and her dark brown hair flowing behind her.

Calypso was going to haunt me even in my school. My mind subconsciously explored every memory of every moment I had shared training with Calypso, and immediately Shelby started choking on her breakfast in front of me. '_Oh Shit.'_

"Now class, this is our new student! Hannah Monroe!"

My eyes narrowed. While I doubted that was her real name, it most likely was very similar to her real name. Time to dig up some dirt on the little parasite.

"Thank you Mrs. VanCarriager!" She practically sang, clearly she was good at brown nosing. "Umm, is it possible for me to get a seat change? I can't see very well from way back there." She put on a look so disgustingly adorable that it reminded me of the damn cat from Shrek.

While being a very wise woman, Mrs. Vancarriager was instantly fooled. "Why sure! Go ahead and pick an empty seat." My eyes darted around; luckily…it didn't appear that there were any empty seats around me…"Hello there!"

Except the one directly to my left.

My eyes drifted upwards. Calypso had traversed the room and had made an immediate beeline for the empty seat next to me. Unsurprising.

After not gaining a response from me, she promptly sat down and swung her arm around my shoulder, "Awww are you shy? No need to be around me!" I leaned away and squinted my eyes, my annoyance sky-rocketing.

I heard cat-calls coming from the back of the room, and the urge to kill was rapidly growing. "Yeeeeaaaah! Go Mac!" I heard Spencer Duphy yell from the clear back. I rubbed my temples; Spencer was a good kid, but he was a total pot hippy. Only thing he had going for him was that he was a very talented drummer.

Calypso winked at me, and retracted her arm. I could see Mrs. VanCarriager laughing silently from her desk, cleverly turning a blind eye to the scene.

This was going to be a long day.

Eventually Spanish ended, but the pest did not. Calypso had cleverly outlined her classes so that her schedule was exactly the same as mine. The most annoying part is that she blended seamlessly into each class, getting every question right with no apparent effort. She would even spend a decent portion of the time pointing out things I missed.

Finally it was lunch. I had made my way about a third way down the hallway to the cafeteria when a hand yanked me down an adjacent hallway. I looked up and saw it was Calypso; unfortunately at least three other guys saw the same thing.

I tried to bury my face as the whistles echoed down the quiet hallway.

"What the hell are you doing, _Hannah_?" I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster. "Relieving you from lunch for additional training." She said matter-of-factly.

"Relieving me? Lunch hasn't even started yet!" I exclaimed. All I got in return was a shrug, "I didn't spend the last 3 hours having people stare at my ass so I could have you say no, Mac."

I sighed and gave in; so much for lunch.

She dragged me out to the parking lot behind the school and from there through several rows of hedges, through a hole in a fence and into a clearing, which was well out of view of any public areas. I raised my eyebrows; I hadn't even known this was here. She didn't waste any time and charged at me, jumping in the air and whipping her leg out at my head, giving me a clear view under her skirt. I was positive that this was planned.

My arm came up in a flash and blocked her kick, her shoe leaving a small indent in my forearm. Wind rushed past my head, ruffling my hair from the force of the kick. Doing as I was taught, I reached for her leg; however she was faster. Using her other foot, she kicked off my arm and rolled into a backflip.

Calypso usually had the advantage in these fights because she was much faster than me, however, due to my new training; I was now immensely stronger than her.

I rushed at her and threw a punch at her; she nimbly ducked under the punch and kicked at my elbow, dislocating it.

A cuss flew from my mouth and I retracted my arm, popping the joint back into place and dulling the pain. I was about to charge again when something caught my attention. I paused and looked behind me; it felt like I was being watched. Calypso apparently sensed this too, but decided to act childish as usual; she hopped onto my shoulders and swung her legs around my neck, peering into the bushes behind us.

I attempted to ignore the annoying gnat and walked towards the bushes. A muffled 'eep' came from the bushes, and out tumbled my old girlfriend. Calypso giggled, "Well well well, if it isn't _you _again"

"Oh for Christ's sake. Shelby, what in god's name are you doing here?" I managed to mutter, my annoyance beginning to show.

"I umm…I followed you here." She said, her nervousness becoming as apparent as my irritation. "So you're spying on me now? Don't you have anything better to do?"

Her eyes narrowed at me, "I could ask you the same question, jerk. You come out here with some girl who had held a_ KNIFE_ to my throat, and then I see you two fighting!"

Oh goodie, so Shelby remembers Calypso. "Yes I remember her!"

This comment made Calypso's eyes narrow. Clearly she smelled that something was off here. I needed to defuse this situation.

"Oh! She doesn't even know! Have you honestly kept this whole thing a secret from them, Mac!"

I felt her legs tighten around my throat, "What secret? What is she yammering about?" I clawed at her legs, they were constricting my breathing, "I-It's nothing, don't worry about it"

Shelby was not happy with that response, "What do you mean by _'It's nothing'_! How is me being able to read your mind nothing!"

Calypso almost fell off me at that point; I actually had to hold onto her legs so she didn't crash to the ground. "Did…Mac…You didn't tell us that she could read minds! You should have told us about this!" Calypso was suddenly very bubbly about the whole thing.

"No, no. Calypso, she can only read my mind. It started happening after I…resurrected her."

Calypso's attitude changed rapidly, becoming heartbroken, to thoughtful. "Well, that's a pity, but interesting nonetheless. We don't get many druids, and fewer still actually resurrect people. There haven't been any records of other resurrections turning out like this, so I think it's safe to assume that it's a druid thing."

She hopped down from my shoulders and turned to Shelby, "Let me make one thing perfectly clear to you; what you have witnessed here is top secret. If you start blabbing about this, I will kill you. The only reason I haven't is because you discovered this by a strange turn of events that could not have been foreseen or prevented. This will be your only warning."

Shelby was wide eyed when Calypso finished, and it looked like she was about to cry, but I didn't interfere. It was about time Shelby realize the magnitude of secrecy that shrouded the information she held.

Calypso walked back to the center of the clearing, "You're free to stay and watch if you want; just don't let anyone follow you here in the future. Come on Mac, we have a good 20 minutes left."

I nodded and fell back into training mode. Calypso was agitated; this was going to be a painful session.

**Authors Notes: Phew! It's been too long since I've updated. Terribly sorry guys, I just get distracted with internet and forget to write. XD**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I've been working up to writing this one for quite a while now. I had to rewrite this chapter 3 different times. I had at two other ideas of how the fight scene would have gone, but one involved the FBI, which didn't make much sense upon reading it, and the other just didn't sound well written.**

**Please remember that he's not dating anyone yet. I can make him flirt with whoever I want =P**

**I'm probably going to throw in a couple of filler chapters like this one. I need to get around to developing an actual plot. All I've been doing is throwing in a bunch of random action scenes, and that's going to bite me in the ass if I don't fix that. Please bear with me, it will be over soon. Maybe, depending if I get around to it this year. XD**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Acquaintances **

* * *

Smack! Calypso's leg crashed into my arm, sending unpleasant vibrations up my arm. I withdrew my arm and was forced to roll to the left as Trixey's insanely powerful drop-kick left a small crater in the soft soil.

I backed off, assessing the situation.

It was now the last day of school for the year, and Trixey had decided to drop by for an entire day of full-on training. Every year, all the students can choose to not show up on the last day, but we had gotten cozy in this spot. It made for a good workout area.

Trixey and Calypso had decided to test my ability to fight multiple opponents, and needless to say, it was incredibly unfair. I had been fighting defensively for the last 2 hours, my hair was matted to my forehead, and my breathing was very labored. Trixey and Calypso both looked tired, but not quite as bad.

I barely got a moment's reprieve before the assault was on, kick after kick, jab after jab, all of them blocked, albeit barely.

Apparently Calypso had gotten tired of how long I was lasting, however, because suddenly she vanished in a blur of speed and appeared under me, her foot connecting with my chin. I grimaced and almost bit my tongue, my body lifting about half an inch off the ground. I collided with the soil in a crumpled mess, all of my energy drained.

Calypso decided that I looked just marvelous as a bench, and took a seat on my chest, "You did very well today, Mac. Any longer and we probably both would have run out of energy entirely."

I snorted, "Well durrr. You both were holding back."

She giggled, "We all were Mac, we all were. Who knows, I've never fought you going all out, so you might have actually won".

I just rolled my eyes, the idea was preposterous. I grinned and flicked her rear, in a surprisingly bold gesture, the consequences of said gesture was a foot to my chin. She stood up and playfully huffed, "Pervert".

"Oh, now I'M the pervert, eh?" I grumbled. Trixey walked up to me and smacked me upside the head, "Yes, you're a pervert. Deal with it" she said with a wink.

Deal with it, eh? Well alright. I concentrated on my power, creating a violent vortex of vertical airflow directly below Trixey; the result of this being Trixey's skirt flying straight up. She didn't even break stride, "Hope you got a good look, pervert; do it again and I'll pull your eyes out."

I rolled my eyes. So overdramatic.

Well, hopefully they weren't ACTUALLY mad at me, I'd like to have some friends left in the world. I sighed and walked inside the school, looking for a vending machine.

* * *

I popped a dollar into the vending machine and relaxed as I began draining my newly acquired bottle of water.

"Hey, Mac, how's it goin'?" A voice called from behind me.

I turned around and saw Spencer, a huge grin on his face. That didn't mean anything good. "So uh, a couple of guys saw Hannah and some red headed chick walk out from behind the school all red and sweaty. Didn't I just see you come from there?"

Water spewed from my lips, drenching the left side of the hallway. I coughed and hacked, trying to release some of the water clogging my lungs, "*cough* *cough* W-What? N-no *cough* I mean, that's ridiculous, Spence."

Spencer's grin only got wider, "Yeah, whatever you say, bro. Anyways, you're a lucky guy. Good score."

He then gave me a one-sided high-five and walked off from where he came from , nodding enthusiastically at someone down the hall. I stood there, dumbfounded for at least a full minute.

If either of them catch wind of that particular rumor, hell was going to look like a vacation home.

* * *

I yawned and stretched, my joints popping from my rather uncomfortable nap on the hallway floor.

Rubbing my eyes, I yawned again, dislodging some object that had been thrown on me. I grunted and lifted it up; my sweatshirt.

Hmmm. Where the hell did this come from? The memory of the girl in the hallway offshoot came back to me. Ah right. Gave her this, so why do I have it now?

A small piece of paper fell out of the folds and drifted lazily to the floor, I rolled my eyes and picked it up, reading the almost perfect script.

'_Sorry for keeping it so long, I forgot to give it back =P I saw you lying in the hall and wanted to make sure you didn't forget it. Thanks again, and have a good summer – Kendra'_

Kendra huh?

I shrugged and slung my sweatshirt over my shoulder, pulling my wrist up to check the time.

Two-ten, I had a good twenty minutes before school let out. Might as well go for a stroll or something.

* * *

I yawned and waltzed out the back door, heading towards the football field. "Oi! You, with the stupid shirt!" My eyebrow twitched as I twisted my neck towards the football field, seeing a boy, about the same age as myself jogging towards me. He had dark eyes, they looked almost grey in color, and his hair was professionally styled, slicked down with a menagerie of hair gels.

"Yeah, what do you want?" I yelled, already getting off to a bad start with this weird kid. The kid finally got to me, his breathing suspiciously even despite the run he had just taken, "Hi there! My name is Ben Hanscom, and I've been sent to kill you."

My eyes widened and I barely was able to pull my head to the side before his fist came crashing past, almost knicking my nose. I frowned and jumped back, "Kill me? What the hell did I do to you!" I recognized the kids name. He was a relative of the Blizzard rep that had come here 2 months ago, the relative of the man I had tried to kill.

"Oh, nothing to me personally, but my old man found a druid brat here a few months ago, and I've been sent to finish off the rest of you." His fist flew at me again, this time I attempted to catch it. His fist crashed into my palm, causing me to flinch, "I don't know what the hell you're talking about, kid. Whoever you're here to kill, I definitely am not one of them."

He only grinned at me, "Yeah, I might have believed you if you hadn't dodged my first punch, I almost broke the speed of sound with that slugger, and no normal human can dodge that. Of course, if you had been a normal human, that would have killed you…but I was pretty sure you weren't normal." He flexed his arm, pushing harder against my hand, "Also the fact that you're calmly holding back a punch that could put a hole in a car door."

I snorted and flicked my finger, causing a root the size of a shiv to shoot out of the ground, puncturing through the bottom of his foot, and curling into a hook, trapping Ben to the earth.

His eyes widened, "You're a druid? But that's impossible! My dad killed you!"

"Yeah, well that sucks for you, doesn't it?" I flicked my finger again, roots shooting out of the ground, puncturing through random points in the boys legs, severing tendoms and cutting through ligaments. I withdrew all the roots, letting the boy fall to the ground, his hands on his maimed legs, his teeth grinding in pain.

"Y-you punk…think you're so good…" his hands glowed with the same sinister energy that his father had posessed.

My eyes narrowed as the wounds on his legs healed, almost instantaneously. His head snapped up, and I gasped when I saw his eyes. They were now a deep, glowing blue.

He shot forward, almost as fast as Calypso, and sent another punch at me. I caught the punch and flinched as one of my fingers broke from the resulting shockwave. He sent punch after punch at me, causing miniature shockwaves as they broke the sound barrier. I dodged as well as I could, trying to get in any hits that I could manage, but Ben was much faster than before.

I kicked at his knee cap, causing him to shriek in pain as his leg bent at a disgusting angle. I closed my eyes as I felt for the forces of life under the sidewalk. "I'm sorry for this." I heard myself mutter.

A huge root shot out of the concrete, tapered to a sharp, very precise point that sliced through the boys midsection, skewering him.

I shuddered, my gag reflex almost activating as I tried my best not to throw up at what I'd just done.

I'd been especially tuned to life and life forces ever since my surgery, and I was utterly shocked when I realized that the boy was still alive. It was faint, but I could definitely sense life in him.

A sigh escaped my lips, though I didn't know if it was a sigh of relief, or a sigh of frustration. I retracted the root and immediately began closing the wound, noting with disgust that it had pierced his stomach, letting stomach acid flow freely over his intestines.

I grimaced and began patching him up, being especially careful to extract the acid and close all wounds before it could become a serious issue.

The job done, I looked the unconscious kid over. He was breathing okay, and his heartbeat seemed stable; I sighed in frustration for sure now. I should have killed him, he won't rest until I'm dead.

"Maybe I can be of some assistance." I almost shrieked in surprise as I whipped around and hopped backwards a good three feet, wondering how the hell someone had snuck up on me. I frowned when I saw nobody there.

I heard a small 'pop' and suddenly someone was occupying the spot I had just been looking at. It was a girl, she was wearing a light blue blouse, paired with some torn up jeans and a pair of circular glasses adorning her face. I raised my eyebrow at the rather strange fashion sense, but disregarded it. "Where did you come from?"

She only smirked at me, "I was here the whole time; actually I'd been up on the roof there for about an hour. I'm waiting to pick up my sister."  
I frowned, "You said something about you being able to help me somehow?"

The girl, who I now guessed was probably about 19, grinned and skipped over to the boy's body, "Yes, yes I believe I can." She closed her eyes, and my eyes widened as I noticed a number of blue glowing symbols appearing around Ben's unconscious form. The symbols then interconnected themselves, and let out a vertical beam of light. When the light disappeared, so had the boy I had almost killed.

I gaped. "H-how…you know, I actually don't want to know. Thank you for your help, but I better get out of here before-" the school bell cut me off, shrieking all the way across the school grounds. I rubbed my temple, "Before that."

"Don't worry about it. Anything I can do to help out the boy who saved my little sister." With that she grinned and strolled across the parking lot to her car. Shortly afterwards I could see a young girl, Kendra, running towards the car, and hopping into it. I sighed and got up, walking towards the secluded path that led back to my house. This was becoming far more confusing than necessary, but thankfully school was finally over.

**

* * *

Authors' notes:**

**Alright guys, I know this chapter was a little shorter than usual, but my internet will be going out soon, and I wanted to get this up before that happened. I hope the story isn't becoming too confusing for you all, but I felt that I needed just one more character to play around with =P**

**Anyways, read and review, you know the drill. It's your reviews that keep me going.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Sinister intent**

* * *

My room was pitch black as I stared at the ceiling, my mind sifting through the information I'd obtained today.

Ben Hanscom. Presumably the son of the maniac who I'd tried to kill; I'd let him live. I frowned and rubbed my temples in frustration. I just couldn't bring myself to kill him. I just knew this was going to bite me in the ass later; I'd just potentially endangered everyone I was connected to.

Then that girl…

I mentally kicked myself in the head, I should have investigated her more, tailed her. She had powers, powers that I needed to catalogue in my mental scrap book of weird shit.

My eyes drifted over to my dormant computer, an idea forming.

Fast as I could go without breaking anything, I powered on the computer and dug through my bedroom clothes drawer. Grinning to myself, I pulled out a slim wooden box, a bit smaller than a pencil box.

Flipping open the lid, I grabbed what I'd been looking for, a flash drive; more specifically, the flash drive that I kept illegally obtained data on.

Over the years of attending this putrid school, I'd been collecting log-in information; the log-in information of various staff members to the school's mainframe. I used this information to remotely keep track of important school news bulletins that were reserved for teacher's eyes only. I could keep track of tests, quizzes, and due dates that other students could not.

Of course, I had never uploaded this information on my home PC before; I had always used a proxy. It was a risk, but one that I had to take. I needed to see the High School roster.

It didn't take long to get into the school's mainframe. Their security system was pitiful and didn't restrict log-ins based on IP addresses. I quickly dove through the records, finding this year's roster, updated as of two weeks ago.

I squinted my eyes, whirring through the list of students. If I had more than just a first name, this would have been a lot simpler, but unfortunately our school didn't alphabetize their rosters by first name.

Kendra…Kendra…Kendra…Aha! Kendra DuPont: age 14, female, grade 9. Emergency contacts…Brandy DuPont: relation, sibling. Bingo. Address: 7713 Gardner Avenue.

I silently congratulated myself and logged off and proceeded to wipe my search history. I took out the flash drive and returned it to its proper place.

Flicking my eyes over to the clock, I smiled. One-fifteen; the perfect hour to do something illegal.

I quietly crept out of the house, being especially careful to lock the door behind me silently. Breathing in a breath of fresh air, I searched inside of me for the power I needed. Getting a running start off my porch, I took a light step onto the railing and pushed off into the night air, my limbs already shrinking, my bones hollowing. I flapped my wings once and disappeared in a swirl of feathers.

* * *

"Hey buddy, wake up; you can't sleep there" an annoying nudge in the gut followed the gruff voice. Ben cracked one eye open, his iris focusing on the large man in front of him, garbed in a typical security guard get-up.

Ben groaned and clutched at his stomach, it was sore, very sore. "Come on kid, find some bridge to sleep under, you gotta leave" again, the annoying voice.

"Shut. Up." Ben managed to croak out, his throat raw. Why did he hurt so bad? Everything hurt, particularly his stomach.

He didn't remember getting hurt…he was supposed to get on a plane to Washing-

Ben's eyes widened as his memories came slamming back into his mind, finding the kid, attacking him…almost getting killed…

His teeth ground together at the memory. How DARE that punk use such cheap tactics? Ben's eyes narrowed dangerously, his hands warping the metal he was gripping on to.

"What did you say to me you little dirty punk? Shut up? I'll show you the meaning of shut up!" The security guard huffed, his hand going to the baton at his waist.

He drew the baton and swung, the wooden instrument colliding with the boy's head. Ben's head didn't so much as twitch at the impact.

The guard couldn't even muster a gasp before his head exploded in a shower of blood and gore, Ben's bloody fist protruding from the back of the poor guy's head.

"I said shut up" Ben muttered, his fist shaking dangerously. The boy's eyes flicked to a nearby sign, 103rd street Manhattan train station. Wait…Manhattan? How the fuck did he get back to Man-fucking-hattan? Nonchalantly shaking brain matter from his hand, he straightened his jacket and looked at the local map. He wasn't far from his father's main office. He would settle this matter once and for all.

He turned the corner, walking speedily towards his destination. An ear splitting shriek rang out from the station he had just exited, causing a demented grin to split across his face; boy did he love his job.

* * *

I landed silently on the telephone pole across the street from the house I needed to invade. The windows were dark, and the deep blue convertible that Brandy had driven away in was snuggly parked in the drive way.

I silently glided down, circling around the house and settling on a railing in the back porch. I frowned when I saw the nearby doghouse; looks like stealth was a priority at the moment.

The transformation back to human was quick and silent, I gently pulled open the screen door and tried the door handle; locked. I smiled as a vine slide through the cracks in the boards below me; the vine slithered its way into the lock on the door. I bit my lip, concentrating on pushing on the correct tumblers, and before long, a small click was audible.

The door opened silently, but I almost gasped when I felt a small pulse, so faint that I questioned if it was my imagination.

I stood perfectly still for the better part of five minutes, my ears trained on the sounds in the house; two pairs of lungs working silently, uninterrupted. The door closed much like it opened, the bolt sliding quietly into its socket.

My shoes tread quietly against the hardwood floor, the rubber soles sliding soundlessly over the polished surface.

A disturbance in the air pressure behind me alerted me to the extra presence, but I didn't have time to turn around, due to the gun barrel nudged snuggly against the back of my head. "Well hello again, Mister Savior" A feminine voice floated softly from behind me; I recognized it as Brandy's.

"I don't recall inviting you into my humble abode, or leaving the door unlocked for that matter. I would suggest that you explain yourself before my finger slips"

I grimaced, "I'm sorry, I needed to find out who you were, and what you knew. I didn't intend to cause you any harm" I mumbled out, keeping my voice down.

She didn't sound very convinced, but the pressure on the back of my head eased up considerably, "You could have asked me yesterday, or waited until morning. Breaking and entering is not a good way to make friends" she whispered, seeming more irritated than anything else.

"This was a way to get all of the information I needed without making anyone suspicious. I didn't expect to get caught" I grumbled, trying to ease up the situation.

She finally removed the gun from my head, and I was able to slowly turn around. "Yeah, and if I wasn't extensively paranoid, then maybe you would have been able to pull that off."

I only blinked at her in confusion, causing her to sigh. She snapped her fingers and I felt another tiny pulse, exactly the same as the one…at the door… "Telepathic tripwires; I set them up and renew them once a week. Any solid mass can activate them, and I will be awakened and alerted to the activation."

Processing the information, I rubbed my temples, "Alright, well how did you get behind me without me seeing you?"

She smiled and disappeared; roughly 1/20th of a second later, a 'pop' was heard, and her voice floated from behind me, "Telepathic Transportation; also known as teleporting."

I whipped around, almost knocking over a table, causing her to flinch. "Quit being so loud, would ya? My sister is still sleeping."

I relaxed visibly, "Alright, so what are you?"

Her eyes sparkled, "I'm what the old ones would have called a mage. You really should do your research on these things; you'd be able to identify the different types of 'gifted ones' by sight alone." She paced slightly, turning to me "for instance, I know that you're a druid, given the skewering act you pulled."

My eyes widened, but she seemed to be a step ahead of me, "Don't worry about your little buddy. I sent him back to where he came from, since you were too chicken shit to kill him."

I relaxed again, but her next words troubled me, "I saw into that boy's mind when he went on a rampage. He will be back, and he will try and kill you. He's ruthless, and doesn't like being denied what he wants, and he most definitely wants you, and everything connected to you dead"

She yawned and stretched, drawing my attention to the fact that she was only wearing a large t-shirt. Her eyes followed mine; I could practically hear the mental threat that she created. "You have your information; now get out of my house before I send you to Zimbabwe."

She began walking to the staircase, "If I don't sense you crossing the threshold to my house in less than ten seconds, I will fulfill that threat, and if you pull off this kind of stunt again I will kill you; make a day appointment next time" and with that, she ascended the staircase. I sighed and strolled out the door, feeling the tiny pulse once more. I closed the door behind me, noting that it actually locked itself after I let go of the handle.

The morphing was second nature to me now, and within a few seconds I was already in the air, soaring over the driveway. I turned my head just in time to see the curtains on a window falling into place.

I sighed and banked a sharp left, my wings carrying me closer to my home; the moon being the only witness to my flight.

* * *

Ben cried out when a fist slammed into his cheek, sending him sprawling.

"YOU LET HIM BEAT YOU!" A booming voice rang out, shaking the walls. Ben's eyes widened in fear, his father's hulking form standing over him.

"I-I didn't let h-him, he was stronger than me! There was nothing I could do!"

This did not appease dear old dad apparently however, as his fist lashed out again, ramming into Ben's jaw. "First you tell me that the boy that I killed is alive, and then you tell me that he's stronger than YOU; some snotty little druid stronger than MY SON!" Drake's eyes were dangerous as he glared at his son.

"That boy wasn't even able to touch me! Yet he was able to incapacitate you when you went full out! That's what you're telling me, Ben!"

Ben nodded weakly, his fear almost palpable.

Drake dragged his son to his feet by his neck, his cold, lanky fingers digging into his son's neck. Ben gurgled and struggled against the fingers, his feet dangling freely off the ground.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you. You are a lying, sniveling, weasel of a son; you remind me of your mother."

A cold chill swept through the room, causing Drake to freeze.

"Aaaah. Father-son bonding; this really takes me back to my childhood." An icy voice said, echoing off the walls.

Drake's fingers immediately released Ben, causing the boy to sprawl on the ground. Drake quickly whipped around and sank to one knee, a cold sweat forming on his forehead. "L-Lord Arthas! I was not expecting your company this evening!"

A dark form sat on the desk, one leg propped on top of the desk, while the other hang freely. "I decided to pay a visit to my favorite financial consultant" the shadows shrouded Arthas' face, concealing his features.

"I was informed by my contacts in the west that your trip was successful…except for a small hitch in a village-sized town in Washington" Arthas grinned, "I was wondering when you were going to tell me about it"

Drake began to sweat visibly, losing his cruel demeanor, "It was nothing, my lord; just a small group of powered ones in the area. I sent my _son _to take care of the problem" Drake responded, earning a flinch from Ben.

"Yes, I was informed of that as well. Your son wasn't lying you know. You failed to kill the druid boy, and he got stronger." Arthas chuckled lightly, "Do you remember what I do to those who fail me, Drake?"

Drake's eyes widened, "N-no, please my lord, I-I didn't know that he had survived! I swear it!"

Arthas smirked, "You failed to kill the boy, you failed to report the incident, and you failed to prepare your son adequately. Ben here was a disgrace to everything I stand for." Arthas stood up and loomed over the two, "You know what I do to weak links. I suggest that you never make this mistake again, Drake. I have others to replace you, and I WILL replace you if necessary"

Ben shuddered and blinked, focusing on staying conscious under the horrifically potent gaze of the man he called master.

Arthas laughed, "You two are exceptionally fortunate indeed, for I have a business meeting in Tokyo in about 15 hours, and you know Yujiro-kun; he doesn't take kindly to tardiness." Arthas walked towards the shadows of the large office, "Consider this your one and only warning, Hanscoms." And with that, the man melted into the darkness, taking the evil chill with him.

Drake shakily stood up, turning to face his son. "I will NOT allow you to get us both killed. Your advanced training begins tomorrow." Drake wiped the sweat off his brow and left the room, trying to regain his composure.

Ben grinded his teeth together in frustration. Him, a disgrace? He would show both of those geezers what he could do. Nobody called Ben Hanscom a disgrace without suffering the consequences.

A chill ran down his spine as he stalked out of the suddenly unwelcoming office.

* * *

The sun shone brightly against my back as I walked down the street that led to the old storage unit.

Now that it was summer, I would undoubtedly have more time to come down here. I quickly scanned my surroundings, making sure I wasn't being watched, before stepping through the vortex.

I walked through the deep jungle, navigating my way to the old cabin where we always met up; hopefully Stitches would be there. Arriving at the mostly abandoned structure, I pushed the door open and waltzed inside.

Walking towards the living room, I glanced through an open doorway and spotted Trixey. She was sprawled out on the couch, mindlessly flipping through channels on the TV. I crept by silently and continued on towards the kitchen.

The kitchen was empty as I strolled inside; I poked around, looking through adjacent rooms, not spotting Stitches.

My eyes landed on the table in the middle of the kitchen. One of the drawers were open and I could see a few rolled up pieces of paper inside; the blueprints.

Grabbing one, I quietly unrolled it and looked over its contents.

My eyes flashed over the various lines and labels, trying to make heads or tails of what this could be…street names…corporations…this had to be a city zoning map; but for what city?

I wasn't necessarily surprised when I saw the bold text that read **MANHATTAN**.

New York huh? Well, that Drake guy was from New York City, so it wasn't terribly surprising. I also noted that several of the buildings and streets were highlighted and circled in red ink. It was fairly easy to assume that these were important places.

Hearing the front door of the cabin open, I hastily rolled up the piece of paper, and managed to stuff it back into the drawer right before Stitches walked into the room. I quickly scrambled over to the refrigerator, casually opening it and pretending to look for food.

"Mac? This is a bit of an unexpected surprise." Stitches said as he came into view.

I smiled and turned around, "Ah yeah, I decided to come by because, well I need to know if you know anything about a certain girl I met"

Stitches looked like he was about to respond, but Trixey popped her head around the corner before he could; "You've found ANOTHER girl to sexually terrorize?"

I rolled my eyes at her, causing her to giggle, "You know I'm just kidding, you dork"

"Yeah yeah, anyways Doc, what do you know about a girl named Brandy DuPont?" I said, evading Trixey's comment.

Stitches' eyes widened considerably, "You found her? Already?"

I narrowed my eyes and frowned, "What do you mean 'found her'? Did you already know about her? She has powers!"

The good doctor sighed, "Yes, we know about her. She and her sister showed up here a year ago or so, and she quickly was able to locate us. I trust that you know what she is?" my nod prompted him to continue.

"We don't know how she came about her powers, but it's a 50/50 chance, as there are really only two ways." He paused, to let me absorb that.

"You can either be artificially implanted with a catalyst that will grant you the powers, like you, or you can be born with them"

I frowned, "Born with the powers? But wouldn't that mean that millions of people could potentially have them?"

Stitches was obviously anticipating this question. "No, the gene that activates this power is…well it's randomly hereditary." My confused stare caused him to chuckle, "It's rather hard to explain, but there was once a time where these powers were not so rare, back in the middle ages. Eventually the gene pools of gifted people became diluted, and as a result, the numbers of these gifted individuals severely dwindled."

"Now this gene is so diluted and faint, that those that do have it in their bloodline have only a 1 in 200 chance of it actually activating"

I nodded, the information sinking in. It made sense, sort of.

Stitches then shifted his eyes over to the drawer, and proceeded to extract a smaller blue rolled up piece of paper. It was another blueprint.

"I'm glad you made it here on your own, it saves me the trouble of having Trixey pick you up. I'm assigning you two a mission"

* * *

**Author's notes: Alright guys, I really hope you're in a worshiping mood, because I feel like I deserve it for pumping out 3 chapters in 2 weeks. This was probably my favorite chapter to write so far; I'm not even remotely sure why.**

**Anyways, you know the drill. Read and review.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Consumed**

"A mission? What do you mean 'A mission'?" I asked, incredulously. I glanced at Trix and noted that she didn't seem to be surprised at all.

"I meant what I said, Mac. You two have a high priority mission. Normally I would have sent Calypso or Alvina in your stead, but I had need for their talents elsewhere." Stitches said, eyeing my reaction.

I narrowed my eyes, "Alright, well what do we have to do, exactly?"

Stitches unrolled the blueprints. "These blueprints are of Seattle. They are accurate as of 3 months ago and show where Arthas' newest outpost is." He pointed to a section of the blueprint that I didn't recognize, "This is where it's located. The cover it's using is that of a local Work Source. Needless to say, it's been getting a lot of foot traffic lately, so it's impossible to identify Arthas' subordinates that are manning it."

My eyes swept over the building, trying to absorb any useful information. It had three ground level entrances, 3 floors, and a shockingly low number of windows; approximately 4 per level.

"So…you want us to destroy it?"

Stitches grinned, "Normally, that's all you would have to do, yes. However, we have been given a very rare opportunity. There is a druid in command here."

My eyes widened, and my breath hitched in my throat, "A-a druid? Working for Arthas?" Even Trixey seemed floored by this information.

Stitches grin only grew larger, "Well, yeah. He used to be a normal druid, but he's a scourge now, like the rest of them. He has all the abilities of a normal druid, just enhanced." He gauged my reaction carefully before he continued, "I need you two to kill him."

I bit my lip, stopping the slew of uncharacteristically harsh names from pouring out from them. "You want us to WHAT! Kill another druid? Are you insane!" Trixey didn't seem to exert the same amount of control.

Stitches looked at her, a frown on his face, "Trixey, I know that it isn't a particularly fun concept, but he needs to die."

I held back a snarl at the very thought, "Why? Why does he need to die? We can't just kill any poor sap that gets in our way, Doc!"

Stitches' demeanor grew dark, and my blood chilled as the room seemed to turn sinister. "Mac, it is not a question of what YOU want to do. The organization demands that this outpost must be silenced, and that is the only way it can happen" Stitches' words were slow, menacing.

I gulped, I had never seen Stitches like this, "A-alright…well um…you said that we were given a rare opportunity…what opportunity is that?"

Stitches looked up, the menace gone from his eyes, "Well, druids are the rarest strand of power that still exists. Arthas only has a handful in his employment."

I looked at him, beckoning him to continue.

The doctor sighed, "The strand is SO rare, that if we could slip a druid into his forces undetected, then that druid would blend in seamlessly."

My brow furrowed, "But you just said the strand was rare. How exactly are we going to get a druid into his forces without drawing attention?"

Stitches grinned, "We're going to do a swap. I told you, it's important that the manager of the Work Source in Seattle is a druid."

A light clicked on in my head, we were going to swap one of our druids for Arthas'.

Another less appealing light clicked in my head, "So that means…the druid we're sending into Arthas' forces will be…"

A snarl came from the corner of the room as Trixey voiced her thoughts, "WE ARE NOT SENDING HIM IN THERE IAN!" her face was the definition of hate as she stared down the doctor. Stitches stared back, his resolve never wavering; "Trixey, it is not up to you" he said, his voice firm.

Stitches turned to me, "Yes Mac, we need to send you undercover. I…I know this is sudden, and you haven't had any training, but I'm counting on Trixey guiding you through it, since you two should be gone several days at least." He looked over at Trixey, his eyes reassuring.

I looked over at Trixey and put on my best fake smile; "Don't worry about it Trix, I'm sure it'll all be fine." I then turned back to Stitches, "So how am I supposed to pull off this swap? I don't know anything about this guy."

Stitches smiled, "That's where this mission plays its part. You two are going to destroy that facility after recovering the necessary information for Mac to go undercover. After destroying it, Mac will be the only survivor in a brutal attack against Arthas' minions." Stitches caught his breath for a second, "There is a larger facility in Los Angeles. If that facility is destroyed or incapacitated, Arthas' influence on the western coast, and by extension his Asian correspondents, will cease."

Stitches pointed back at the blueprint, "In short, your mission will be to successfully and quietly eliminate the manager of this establishment, destroy said establishment, impersonate the manager, and successfully infiltrate the facility in Los Angeles." Stitches looked up at us, "Any questions?"

"How long will it take me to complete the mission?" I asked tentatively.

Stitches bit his lip, obviously not willing to give up this answer, "It could take up to a year, if not done correctly." He continued before I could interrupt, "However, if done right, this shouldn't take more than a month."

A sigh escaped my lips, "A month? How am I possibly going to explain me being gone for a month?"

Stitches smiled again, "Quite easily, actually. You are officially on overseas leave to check out an international University."

I rubbed my temples; somehow I wasn't surprised at all. I glanced over at Trixey, noting that her scowl had yet to leave. I walked over to her and patted her once on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it; I'll be fine." I said quietly. I looked back at Stitches, "When do we leave?"

"As soon as you can. When you get to Seattle, keep in mind that your target's name is Shae Kartwall. Take him out quietly, and take his place among Arthas' forces. Anyone who has ever seen Shae has to be eliminated, lest they reveal you for who you are."

I nodded and tapped Trixey on the shoulder, ushering her to move towards the door. She scowled at Stitches, swiped the blueprint from off the desk, spun on her heel, and stormed past me. I warily followed her out the door, silently sliding into the passenger seat of her caddy.

Trixey sighed and popped the car into reverse, spinning it around and shooting out of the storage unit facility. She looked over at me, an exasperated look on her face, "I'm really sorry about this, Mac…there's really nothing I can do…"

I rolled my window down, enjoying the refreshing breeze, "Don't worry about it. I haven't been able to do anything exciting lately, or ever. This could be a good experience for me."

She frowned, "It could…or it could be a complete and total disaster. You haven't been trained for covert missions; this is one giant cluster fuck in the making." She unbuttoned her blouse slightly, "You wanna grab one of the water bottles back there? It's sweltering in here."

Nodding, I turned around, spotting the package of probably hot bottle water sitting below the back window, baking in the sun. I reached back, my hand stretching over the backseat…when suddenly it encountered something soft…something that shouldn't have been where my hand was.

I blinked, positive that my depth perception was off; my hand wasn't quite touching the backseat yet. Adding to this, the Cadillac had leather seating, and was fairly even; whatever I was touching was cloth-like, and rounded.

A shudder ran up my spine as a voice floated from the back seat, "You wanna keep your hands off the goods, skippy?"

Trixey slammed on the brakes, and whipped her head to the back of the car, where I noticed the air was shimmering somewhat.

A low 'pop' later, Brandy DuPont was now sitting in the backseat of this sweltering Cadillac, my hand resting comfortably on her left breast. My mind fuzzed out, and she only giggled before lightly pushing my hand away from her chest, "You know, you may be cute, but let's take it one base at a time, okay?"

Trixey's low growl drafted her attention, "Just what the hell are you doing IN MY CAR?"

Brandy shrugged nonchalantly, "Tagging along. I don't recall hearing the Doc say it was limited to 2 people."  
Trixey growled loudly, "You have no busi-"

Brandy held her hand up, and then pointed behind the car, "I hate to break it to ya Princess, but you're stopped in the middle of a highway. You wanna move it along before a state patrol slaps us with a rather hefty fine?"

Trixey snarled and whipped back around, slamming on the gas, causing the car to roar to life and jolt forward. I blinked again, my mind not quite recovered from the shock; looking at Brandy again, I managed to get out a few words. "H-how…how were you invisible like that…I-I didn't mean to-"

She held a finger to my lips, "Ah, ah, ah. No blood, no foul. Being invisible is a Mage thing. Don't worry about it."

I nodded and slowly managed to turn around. Trixey however, was not done drilling the girl. "Do you have any idea how badly you could compromise this mission? You are a total wild card! I will not have you ruining an already delicate operation!" Trixey's knuckles were starch white as she took her anger out of the steering wheel. Brandy only smirked; "I know exactly what you have to do, and it'll require either 30 pounds of C4, or a mage. You go ahead and take your pick."

Trixey was not happy with that response, so I interjected, "What do you mean? Are we going to blow up the Seattle facility?"

Brandy grinned, "Yup! It happens to be the easiest way to just make an entire outpost disappear." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, "We're going to have to get you on a plane to LA prior to detonating the building, however. They'll lock down the airport as soon as they smell the makings of a bomb."

Trixey gassed up again, illegally shooting past 5 cars at roughly 90 miles per hour, her knuckles digging a hole in the steering wheel.

Getting creative, I grasped for the power, pulling it, extending it. I pushed it towards Trixey, letting its soothing aura wash over her. She scowled at me, but the expression didn't last, as I could see her muscles relax, and her frown fade. She huffed and looked away, but I could tell she was grateful in her own way. The car slowed down considerably, dwindling down to a peaceful 55 miles per hour.

Smiling, I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, intent on getting some shut-eye, while attempting to ignore the headache that had developed over the past hour. I felt two fingers from behind my seat press against either side of my forehead. A moment later, a small pulse occurred, and before I could think about what had happened, my brain shut itself down and I drifted to sleep.

* * *

My eyes fluttered open, before quickly shutting again as the sun shot a beam of light straight into my pupil.

I groaned and jerked my neck to the side, relieving it of its awkward placement, and rewarding me with a series of pops and cracks. I groaned again in annoyance as I wiped the tendril of drool that ran from my face to the leather seating.

Blinking, I noticed that the car was parked and that I was alone in it; or at least I thought I was. I narrowed my eyes and poked at the air in the back seat, duly noting that I felt nothing.

The car was parked perfectly between a large Chevy and a Prius on the side of what seemed to be a somewhat busy street.

Stepping out of the car, I knew it was Seattle right away; it was not named the Emerald city for nothing. Trees and grass were everywhere, popping up out of the sidewalk, and between buildings. I took a breath of air, loving how pure it was; there were very few factories in the area, and as a result, the city was one of the cleanest on the planet.

I looked around, attempting to locate my two partners.

My eyes drifted to a building just across the street, and they widened slightly as I read 'Work Source' in large white letters across the top. I yawned and shrugged, good enough place to start looking as any.

I walked behind the caddy and gave the Prius a swift kick, crushing the grill and making the car slide backwards about three feet; what a pathetic thing it was. Cruising between the cars, I strolled across the street, opened the front door, and walked inside.

Glancing around, the first thing that caught my attention was the amazing amount of shrubbery in this little building. There were potted plants all around, covering every corner of the room; it was easy to tell that a druid worked here. The lobby was quite full, and a large line had formed, so I lazily took a seat in one of the waiting room chairs; looked like blowing this place up in the daytime would be unacceptable.

I picked up a magazine and began pretending to read, my eyes looking over the people of importance, the staff. The desk clerks at the front seemed fairly average; genuine smiles, decent clothing, nothing out of the ordinary. It was the other lobby dwellers that intrigued me, there were three others in the lobby that were doing exactly what I was; scouting. I tried to be less obvious than them, but I could plainly watch as they would lower their magazine/book about every 15 seconds, look around somewhat discretely and then raise the reading material again. So they DID have security, they were just less obvious about it.

"Um excuse me, can I help you?" a voice said from beside me. I froze and glanced over, a boy, maybe a year older than me, was looking at me over a pair of large glasses. I looked back at him, "From the looks of it, no, no you can't."

He grinned, and then laughed, "Haha, don't be misled, I work here. My name is Shae. Shae Kartwall"

I struggled to keep the smile on my face as I extended my hand to him, "Hey there. My name is Andy." The smile almost slipped off my face, "Andy Garret" of course his name would be the first to cross my mind.

"Nice to meet you, Andy. Like I was saying, you seem to need some help." He said, "I was just curious why you were just sitting here, the line emptied out a few minutes ago"

I glanced over, and sure enough, the line was empty. Only myself, the security, and Shae remained in the lobby. "Ah…" I said, searching for an excuse, "Well, I'm not actually looking for a job. I umm…I'm waiting for my sister and her friend to get done shopping, and I couldn't find anywhere else to stay" I said, scratching the back of my head. Shae raised an eyebrow, but turned as the door to the lobby opened.

My heart nearly leapt as Brandy poked her head in, her eyes settling on me. "Oh, well speak of the devil, there she is." I said, getting out of my seat swiftly. I waved over at Brandy, "Heya sis, done shopping already?" I said, my best grin on my face. I prayed that she would catch on. She blinked once, before clearing her throat, "Ah...yeah, come on; you know how impatient Stacey gets when she's forced to wait on you."

I glanced back at Shae and waved at him, "Nice to meet you, Shae. Talk to you some other time, perhaps." He smiled and waved at me.

Once I was out of earshot I whispered to Brandy, "Let's get the fuck out of here."

Brandy nodded and nudged me out the door, her eyes lingering on the bespectacled teen we had left behind; "That's the target?" she questioned.

I nodded discretely, working my way across the street to the Cadillac. Brandy sighed, sliding into the backseat of the caddy, "Well, it appears that we'll have to act tonight then. No need to let him check in with his superiors before we get you to LA; that would be bad."

I frowned and glanced back at the Work Source station, "He seemed so normal…" I muttered, slipping into the passenger's side. Trixey's voice floated from the driver's side, "They always look normal. It's nearly impossible to tell them apart from normal powered ones and humans outside of combat."

Trixey started the engine and pulled out of the parking space, and shot into the street. She then said something I'd never expected to hear from her, "Mac, you did very well in there. I'm proud of you."

I was about to respond, but she beat me to it; "Just don't do anything like that again. It was reckless and stupid, no matter how successfully you pulled it off." I bit my lip and nodded.

Of course, Brandy had to throw in her little snippet of information, "So, we're brother and sister now, huh? You sure are awfully touchy-feely for a brother, Mac" she said, grinning.

I scowled back at her, my face flushed, "Shut it. I couldn't think of a better alibi."

Brandy grinned and poked the back of my head, "Ah, don't sweat it. You did well for somebody who's had their powers for less than a year."

I cleared my throat and turned to Trixey, "So uh…what time are we attacking?"

Trixey looked up, thoughtfully, "Well, I think about 20 minutes after they close for the night would be appropriate. All of the civies will be gone, and none of the staff will have left yet. Maximum damage, minimum collateral."

Trixey swerved off to a side road that ran parallel to the one we had just been on and followed it back towards the job center. "This is what we were doing while you were in the Work Source building; scouting out a nice place to bunker down for a few hours. This path is hidden by a row of tall shrubs; we should be fine to wait here." Trixey stopped the car abruptly and looked at her watch, "Well, the building closes at 9 pm, so we got about 3 and a half hours to do nothing."

I sighed and looked at Brandy, "Can you knock me out again? I don't wanna sit here for 3 hours." Brandy smiled, "Yeah, sure. I'll wake you up if anything exciting happens." I then felt the same two fingers on my forehead before I blissfully drifted off to sleep.

* * *

I coughed and sat up, my head spinning from the sudden rush of blood. I blinked and looked around, noting that it was very dark. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I pulled up my watch and clicked on the light, my eyes bugging out as I read that it was 10:30.

I whipped my head around, looking for Trix and Brandy, and finding neither. Something was up.

Stepping out of the car, I noticed the distinct lack of smoke and fire. They hadn't completed the mission yet; something was definitely up.

Pushing through the row of shrubs, I peeked across the street to the Work Source building, noting with a smile that the wrecked Prius was still there.

The street was utterly silent. Not a single car could be seen from either side. I shifted, my body becoming light, feathery. I was in the air in seconds, my wings carrying me to a telephone pole above the building. I grimaced and touched down on a telephone wire, almost expecting a shock, thankfully none came. Peering inside, I saw only darkness.

I flew around the building, spotting the two other entrances; one was an alleyway entrance and the other was an old fashioned cellar door, a hefty padlock over it. I looked at the alleyway entrance and lightly glided down. I morphed back to human and gently tested the doorknob. Unlocked.

I frowned and backed away, no important business would leave their buildings unlocked at night, not on accident anyways. I glanced over at the cellar door; a long vine was stretched lazily across the door. Had I been more naïve, I might have just brushed it aside and unlocked the door. As carefully as I could, I gently brushed my finger over the vine, barely making contact, careful not to budge it at all.

I could feel it; the power was coursing heavily through this vine…druid power. It was acting like a green spider web, I touch a single strand, and the crafty two legged spider will know about it.

A grin split across my face, what an ingenious idea! I'd have to use this at some point. The vine was so strategically placed that I couldn't open the bloody door without moving the damn thing. Gently touching the vine, I carefully forced my power into the vine, pushing Shae's power back. I slowly pushed his power back farther and farther, careful to not alert him to the process. I grinned as I pushed the power back ever farther, the vine would be like a numbed limb; he wouldn't realize it wasn't working until he tried to use it. Finishing the process, I used this very vine to carefully pick the padlock on the door.

The metal contraption released with a dull 'clink' and fell to the ground with a thud. I carefully lifted one of the cellar doors and slipped inside, making sure as I shut the door to lay the vine exactly as it had been. I slid the door shut and began carefully extracting my influence from the vine.

The job done, I turned my back on the door and looked around. The cellar looked exactly like any other storm cellar you could imagine. Rusty tools, wheelbarrows, old machines, and vehicle parts littered the floor, making walking difficult. I froze as I heard muffled breathing nearby, very soft, that of a sleeping person.

A soft snore made me whirl around, and sure enough, right by the staircase that led from the cellar doors, was a sleeping guard. He was shrouded in the darkness of the staircase; it wasn't surprising that I'd missed him. I contemplated strangling him with a vine, but Trixey's lecture a few months ago stopped me, "_Well duh, he sensed you using your powers!"_ I cursed and looked around; there must be a way for me to eliminate him.

After a few minutes I gave up, he wasn't dangerous to me as he was, I could let him live for now.

I closed my eyes and focused on the building…I could sense power being used…Druid power, on the third floor. He wasn't using much, just enough to monitor the building with his various vines.

I could also sense the remnants of another power…more violent, angry…mage power, I assumed.

So Brandy WAS here, and where Brandy was, Trix would be nearby.

As quietly as I could, I crept up the stairs; at the top of the stairs was an old wooden door. Peeking under the door, I noted that I could see nothing but smooth tile, and I could hear nothing from listening against the door.

I gently opened the door, squinting against the beam of light that emitted from it.

It was a staff lounge, or what looked like one. It was a plain white room decorated with a few burnt orange sofas, some wooden chairs, a water cooler and a vending machine. This place hadn't been updated much since the 70's apparently.

I heard heavier breathing from a nearby room, the words 'Security' printed in large white letters across the top. I frowned, that door was sure to be locked, but they most likely had…security footage.

Freezing, I looked around warily, noting with a sigh of relief that the Staff lounge apparently didn't warrant video security.

I looked at the door again, I could TRY and pick the lock, but I didn't exactly know how without a vine, and I doubt I could scrounge up the tools in this crappy lounge anyways.

Frowning, I debated how to get to that footage. Well, if I can't get in, maybe I can get them out.

Looking over, I grabbed a pencil and placed it on the edge of a desk. I nudged the pencil gently, causing it to roll towards the edge of the desk; I silently placed myself around the corner from the security room. The pencil fell off the table, and collided with the tile with a series of sharp 'clinks'.

I heard a chair slide back, and some rustling from inside the room. My stomach sank as I heard a magazine being slid into the holster of a pistol, followed by a sharp snap. _"I'll check it out, Ed. Keep an eye on the video."_ I heard from the room, barely whispers.

The door silently slid open, and I could hear the guard's leather soles gliding across the tiles. I heard the grunt of the man bending over to pick up the pencil.

I shot from my hiding place faster than the man could comprehend, my hand slapped across his mouth, the other holding on to the back of his head. I brutally twisted his head to the left, and almost lost my lunch as his neck snapped and twisted so violently that his spine pierced the back of his neck.

Holding back the bile, I dragged the man behind the corner. Fast as an arrow, I shot into the room with the other guard.

He wasn't even able to scream before I jabbed my hand into his throat, silencing him. I pulled my hand back and shot it forward again, my open palm smashing into his nose. He gurgled once before twitching and falling silent, his body going limp. I checked his pulse just to be certain; dead as a doornail.

I shuddered and dragged the body out of the room, awkwardly lumping it over the body of the other guard.

Pushing the revolting images and thoughts out of my mind, I slipped back into the room and looked over the video feed. It showed nearly every room in the building, the only ones excluded seemed to be the staff lounge and the cellar. Looking through the footage, I noticed that there were highly sensitive alarms on both the front and back doors, coupled with armed guards. I smiled to myself, proud of my deductive skills.

My smile fell as I looked at the footage for the third floor, conference room B. Trixey and Brandy were inside, both tied to a couple of chairs by long vines. They looked awful, both of them were covered in huge bruises and welts, and an assortment of poisonous plants surrounded them. I snarled as I looked at their tormentor; Shae was simply watching them, occasionally talking. He had an evil glint in his eye that I hadn't seen before.

I rubbed my temples; idiots shouldn't have gone without me. I took one last look at the cameras before turning to the main computer that held the video footage.

The operating system was windows, my territory. I snarled and buzzed through documents and files, looking for anything important. I frowned; nothing was stored on this computer except for video logs.

Resisting the urge to kill something, I quickly opened up the file for the computer's C drive. Browsing through the Windows folder, I found what I was looking for, System32.

I grinned and happily deleted the entire folder, immediately being rewarded with the oh-so-popular blue screen of death. I then shut down the computer, pulled out its hard drive, and crumpled it. Browsing through the computer, I found a rather nice video card; I happily pocketed it.

I silently slipped out of the room, making sure to lock it behind me.

The trip up to the third floor was rather uneventful, aside from exterminating some patrolling guards, it was rather quiet. I however was not in the mood to be quiet when I reached the conference room door.

I brutally kicked the door open, snarling as I released the full extent of my power. Every plant in the room withered and died, my power washing over them. Shae's eyes narrowed, "I'd wondered when you'd show up, Andy. Though I am quite intrigued; you managed to get here without raising the alarm."

I wasn't in a talking mood; vines erupted from the walls, shooting towards the opposing druid. They didn't get far however, before his own power caused them to wither. I growled and charged forward, my fist aimed at his head. He smiled and tilted his head, calmly evading my fist. I threw another punch, aimed at his gut.

He batted it aside and kicked out at me, I managed to grab his foot and twist, intent on breaking it. Shae's teeth ground together as a loud snap occurred.

He yanked his foot back, immediately beginning to heal it.

I charged forward, vines following close behind me. I lashed out at him, my arms shooting forward like pistons, while my vines jabbed at him in between punches. He snarled and evaded, ducking in-between vines and punches, while returning his own. He ducked a punch and was rewarded with my knee slamming into his mouth, causing him to groan and fly backwards.

Shae covered his mouth, repairing the damage; he seemed winded. "M-Mac?" I heard Brandy say from behind me, her voice barely a whisper. "Don't speak, Brandy. I'll take care of this disgrace." I growled, my eyes never leaving Shae.

"Ah, a disgrace am I? Maybe I am, but you'll be no different, Andy. The power's grip is too tempting, far too tempting. You'll succumb to it too" he grinned, his eyes flashing blue, the power whirling around him, causing the hairs to stand up on my neck. The power swirled around him, for the first time becoming visible to me. "I'll show you what it's like, ANDY!" Shae yelled as he burst forward, almost mimicking Ben's speed. His fist crashed into my mouth, sending me flying back with a broken jaw.

I cried out and sent the power to my mouth; I couldn't fix it in time however, because the demon was already on top of me again, slamming his fists into my stomach.

"Come on Andy! Release your power! Let it consume you!" he screamed, his fists pounding farther and farther into my stomach. I wasn't even able to scream, his fists crashing into various internal organs.

He picked me up by my collar and threw me into the air, following it up by roundhouse kicking me into a wall. I coughed up blood, lots of blood as my internal bleeding made itself apparent. I struggled to keep myself upright as I vainly tried to heal the damage. It was too much, I was going to die.

Shae grinned, "Maybe you need a different kind of motivation, apparently you're some kind of martyr." He bent over Brandy, "Wouldn't it be a shame if this pretty face were to be busted up? Oh wait, it already is!" he cackled maniacally and I could only watch in pain.

"Or maybe…just maybe I can show her a better time…" my old scar ached as I watched his hand travel up her thigh, his lips brushing over her neck…

I coughed up more blood, on the verge of crying, I was in such a blinding pain. My anger welled up inside me, watching him defile Brandy. "G-get off her" I managed to sputter out, my lips dripping blood. I desperately tried to pry myself out of the wall, only managing to collapse on the floor, "I-I'll fucking k-kill you" I gagged and coughed more, my vision blurring.

"You'll kill me? Oh dear. I believe you already had your chance, you little snot. You're just too weak. Too weak to protect your friends, or yourself." He tilted Brandy's head up, "But I'm strong…I'll treat your sister very…nicely…" he slammed his face against Brandy's, his lips crushing against hers. A single tear trickled down Brandy's cheek.

I saw red as my scar ached on new levels, the pain racking my body, numbing every other sensation. I roared out as the power engulfed me, my vision turning a dull green. I saw the power around me as I stood up, all of my wounds seemingly non-existent. It swirled violently, and I flexed my fist experimentally.

The burning rage inside me grew hotter, and I looked over at Shae. Brandy's eyes were horror-filled as she looked at me, her fear almost palpable. Shae grinned as he looked at me, "Yes! Yes! You've done it! You've final-" I cut him off, flying at him at speeds previously impossible, my fist tearing through his stomach. He coughed up blood as he flew backwards, his eyes wide in disbelief and he grasped at the hole in his abdomen. I walked calmly over to him, "I told you I'd kill you. Goodbye, Shae Kartwall."

I grasped his head between my hands and flexed my fingers, crushing his skull.

The pain in my stomach became unbearable, causing me to double over, crying out in pain. I looked over at Brandy, her eyes locked with mine. Moving through the pain, I walked over to her, killing the vines that were holding her. "I'm sorry." I managed to say before the pain consumed me, causing me to black out.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Well guys, there you have it. My most action packed and longest chapter to date. Currently I have no internet, so you will be reading this probably months after I finished it, but I hope you enjoyed it. Man that cliff hanger was such a dick move on my part, but hey, I'm sure you all still love me anyways.**

**Author's Notes (12/27)**

**Hey guys, my internet is FINALLY back up. I have like 3 more chapters after this to upload.  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Catalyst**

It was the explosion that woke me up.

The air was violently swirling around me, explosive turbulence flailing over my body. The ground shook, trees swayed, window panes rattled and smoke plumes shot into the sky. I was on the sidewalk, halfway lying on the street. I had burns everywhere; I didn't remember getting burned. My hair was singed, I could smell it.

My ear's rang out, I tried to sit up but my balance was off; I fell back to the pavement. Everything hurt. My old scar ached like I had never felt, my stomach was heavily bruised, and my jaw was still broken. Nobody had bothered to heal me.

I tried to sit up again as my eyes rolled back slightly, I could see Brandy, her hair thrown about as she lay sprawled out on the ground. Trixey was propped up against a car near the sidewalk, unconscious. I looked at the explosion, the Work Source building was a burning pile of ruins. The explosion was oddly contained; the nearby buildings were barely scratched. I gently pulled on my power, healing my jaw as best as I could, relieving some of the pain.

Sirens rang out, I could hear them approaching; good response time.

I couldn't stand, so I just lay there as the sirens grew closer and closer. I could see the flashing red and blue lights of police cars. Car doors opened, men in uniforms hid behind their cars, assessing the situation. One of them spotted Brandy and said something on his radio. They walked forward, carefully using the cars as shields in case of another explosion. A young woman officer popped her head around the bumper of a car. "Sir, are you alright?" she said, I could barely read her lips, my ears were still ringing. I pointed towards my ears, before letting my arm fall and resting my head on the sidewalk.

She knelt over me, lightly propping my head up and checked my pulse. She was talking to me, probably asking questions, I didn't bother paying attention, I just wanted to go back to sleep.

The ringing was beginning to stop; I could make out her words. "Sir, I need you to stay awake. Please sir, stay with me."

"No, jus…just let me get some rest…" I muttered. She frowned and patted the side of my face, "Sir, stay awake. You need to stay awake until the paramedics get here, please."

I rolled my eyes, trying to stay awake. She was right; I probably had a concussion, or something.

I hadn't noticed the ambulance pulling up, but before I knew it I had been lifted off the ground and onto a stretcher. They slapped a neck brace on me and wheeled me into the ambulance.

I looked to my left; Trixey and Brandy were already in the ambulance. I noticed burns on them, everywhere. Those burns had not been there before.

Radio chatter erupted through the ambulance, "Ambulance 012, I'm going to have to redirect your return path. You will NOT be returning to Seattle General Hospital. I have received orders from medical chief Isaac Skult, you are to bring them to his estate."

The paramedics seemed confused, "Can you repeat that, dispatch? Bring the patients to Isaac Skult's estate?"

The radio buzzed again, "That is affirmative. Direct orders, they are to be followed out."

The ambulance suddenly took a fairly sharp u-turn, whipping around and traveling away from the inner-city and going towards the residential districts.

Glancing at Brandy, I noticed that she seemed awfully smug for a sleeping person. She must have planned this whole thing out. I looked at the paramedic next to me, "Can I take this stupid brace off, please?" I grumbled. He smiled, "Afraid not, sir. You could have some serious spinal injuries from the explosion; it's a miracle that you three are alive."

I huffed and looked away, closing my eyes briefly.

I clenched my fist. What had I done? I let the power consume me…was I a scourge now? I certainly didn't feel any different.

My scar was still aching horribly, and I tenderly lifted up my shirt to look at it. The scar was red, bleeding slightly, as if it had just been sewn together again. I could feel the seed…still there, still intact; fractured, though.

I sighed and laid back, my hand on my scar. I pushed the power towards the seed, healing it. The power swarmed around the seed, pushing it back together, repairing the fractured parts. I didn't know what would happen if that seed broke, and I didn't want to know.

My eyes closed as I finished fixing the seed, the catalyst of my powers back to its former glory. I idly wondered if this seed would be there forever, or if I would eventually absorb it.

The ambulance lurched to a halt, and a moment later the back doors opened. The two paramedics in the back wheeled me and Trixey out, getting Brandy shortly afterwards. We were walked up a wheelchair ramp to a pair of wide double doors. The mansion we were in front of was enormous.

The paramedics went to knock, but the doors were already opening, a pleasant looking man in a lab coat on the other side. The man looked almost exactly like Stitches, the family resemblance was amazing. "I'll take them from here, boys. Go ahead and return to the hospital." The man said. Even his voice was nearly identical.

The paramedics nodded and turned around, stiffly walking back to their ambulance. Shortly afterwards the lights blared to life and it wheeled around, shooting out the front gates and back to the hospital.

The man looked down at us, "Those of you that feel like you can walk, go ahead and do so." Almost immediately after the words left his mouth, both Trixey and Brandy leapt off the stretchers. I attempted to do the same, but Brandy held me down, "No you don't you little retard. You almost lost control of your powers. You are not going anywhere until you are very thoroughly examined." I growled at her and swatted her hand away, "I'm fine. As you can see, I'm more or less fully healed." I groaned and lumbered off the stretcher, almost falling down in the process.

Brandy only raised an eyebrow, but shrugged and turned away, "Thanks for the housing, Isaac. The hospital would have determined that most of this damage wasn't caused by an explosion." She said, walking towards the living room.

'Isaac' smiled, "Not a problem at all, I rarely get visitors from Concrete. How's my brother doing?" Trixey ran her hands over her arms, healing the light burns, "Oh, he's fine, despite how batshit crazy Mac has been driving us all." She said, looking over at me.

I huffed, "Oh come on. That cluster fuck was YOUR guys' fault. You left me in that fucking car while you went and got yourselves captured. Do you have any idea what a pain in the fucking ass it was to break into that place?" I grumbled at her. Trixey rolled her eyes, "He blindsided us, that's all; didn't expect for him to have every fucking entrance guarded."

I rolled my eyes and walked over to Brandy, who was dipping her arms in cold water. "Why don't you just heal yourself?" I questioned, my powers spreading over my arms.

She raised an eyebrow again, "Oh, I didn't realize that you were quite this ignorant on the different types of power. Mages can't heal. Only a select few types can. Our power is too violent and destructive for it to be used for healing." She then returned to cooling off her arms.

Grabbing her arms, I began forcibly running my power over them. Her burns disappeared almost instantaneously. Her eyes rolled back as my power rolled over her face and neck, clearing up the burns there as well. I raised an eyebrow of my own as a distinct blush formed on her cheeks, "Sheesh, and you have the gall to tease me all the time. You're getting hot and bothered over a bit of healing." I said, lightly laughing.

I was rewarded with a punch upside the head; her cheeks flushed even more, "Oh get over yourself. I was thinking of my boyfriend."

I recoiled, hurt by the jab, but rolled my eyes to maintain the apathetic illusion; "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Hey uh, Doc, you got any beds around here? I'm pretty tired." I said. He smiled, "Yes, I do. However, I do need to perform some tests on your catalyst, to ensure that it's still functioning properly."

An exasperated sigh escaped my lips, "Alright, alright. Let's get it over with."

Isaac took me into a small medical room, the kind you go into for a checkup. I sat on the rather uncomfortable bed, while the man fished around the drawers for something.

He smiled and pulled out a bag. Reaching into the bag, he fished out what appeared to be a pumpkin seed.

"Swallow this." He said, handing it to me.

I frowned, but did as I was told, my skepticism practically malleable. After about 20 seconds, I could feel a warming in my stomach. The warming grew stronger and stronger, and after about two minutes, a large pulse rocked from my catalyst, shaking the shelves and cupboards around us. The doctor's eyes widened considerably.

"My, my. It appears that not only is your catalyst not damaged, it's actually stronger than it should have ever been. It's grown a lot." He rubbed his chin, processing the information.

"Curious indeed, I've never had the opportunity to study a successful catalyst procedure. Well, I will have to report this to Ian, but it seems that everything is in order." He smiled and beckoned for me to hop off the table, "You are going to be a tad late for your LA plane, but there's always tomorrow. The airport should be opened up again by then."

I nodded and walked back into the living room. Both Trixey and Brandy were looking at me, their eyes wide as saucers, "Was that pulse YOU?" Trixey managed to say. I blinked and nodded, causing her jaw to drop a bit, "That was that largest pulse I have ever felt…your catalyst definitely is working just fine." She managed to sputter out.

"Erm…yeah, yeah I suppose it is." I muttered lamely.

Brandy shifted uneasily before slowly walking over towards me, "Hey…could you possibly heal my back? It's going to be a pain to sleep with those burns there. I wouldn't have put burns there normally, but I didn't know if they would actually take us to Isaac's place."

I frowned, "Yeah, sure. I thought it was strange that we all had burns that I didn't remember us getting. Thanks for doing it while I was unconscious, I guess." I said, my hands resting lightly on the burnt areas of her back, "You could always have Trixey heal you, I'm sure that you would be more comfortable with it."

She smiled, "You're welcome, and yes, I could…but I dunno. Never felt super secure around other girls, if you understand my meaning."

"Mmm not sure that I do, but I'm more than happy to keep it that way." I muttered, my power easing the pain throughout her shoulders and back. She was blushing again; I assumed it was due to the fact that her body wasn't used to this kind of power. Her shoulders relaxed more, and finally the last of her burns disappeared.

"Thank you Mac…for everything…" she then surprised me by turning around and kissing me on the cheek, "However, if you needlessly endanger your life like that again, I'll kill you."

I bit my lip and nodded, trying exceptionally hard to keep the blush from my face. Brandy skipped off up the stairs and bolted through a door, which slammed shut immediately afterwards.

Trixey scoffed at me, "You are the biggest player I have ever seen. I don't think there's been a girl yet that you haven't flirted with."

I rolled my eyes and strolled up the stairs after Brandy, taking the room next to hers, "I haven't flirted with Alvina yet" I muttered before shutting the door behind me.

The night passed quickly, a dreamless sleep carrying me into the next morning.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of voices in the living room. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I pushed the door open and glanced down the stairs. I saw Isaac and Stitches huddled around a table; it would appear that the girls weren't up yet.

Glancing at my watch, I noticed it was 5:30 in the morning. Ugh, I got like 4 hours of sleep.

I silently made my way to the kitchen, noticing a half-made pot of coffee. I quickly poured its contents into a large cup, added my preferred amount of milk and sugar and returned to the living room.

The two were still leaning over the table, my presence going unnoticed. I lazily strolled down the stairs, sipping on my coffee. Stitches finally noticed me as I descended the last stair. "Ah, Mac. Good, you're awake."

I coughed, "Yeah, I'm awake. What're you doing here? Thought you were just gonna let me depart for LA?" I mumbled.

Stitches scratched his head sheepishly, "Well, it occurred to me after you left, that I actually hadn't told you what you would be doing in LA. I was planning on catching you before your plane left; luckily you three got tangled up in some extra business here"

I nodded, "Yeah. The whole thing didn't go quite as planned, but the prick is dead, and the building is a smoldering pile of rubble. Mission accomplished." I took another drink of coffee.

"Quite. It would have been more comforting if you hadn't pushed your luck so much while you were there. You got quite close to becoming a scourge, Mac. Had your catalyst broke, you most certainly would have." Stitches reprimanded. I sighed, "Yeah, well I'd do it again if I had to. He was going to kill them, or worse. What else could I be expected to do?" I mumbled.

Stitches looked at me, "I suppose there wasn't much more you could have done. The target was more creative than usual. Typically the weaker scourge aren't very smart, so they're simpler to take down. Shae was unusually intelligent."

I frowned, "Weaker? Are you trying to tell me that he was _weak_?" I said, flabbergasted. Stitches nodded in response, "Yes, Shae was quite weak. A scourges strength depends entirely on how powerful they were when they lost control. Shae probably only had his powers for a few months at most before turning." Stitches glanced at his brother before continuing, "A scourge can become stronger, but not at the same rate that we can. On the other hand, a scourge that was as strong as you when he turned, would have little trouble defeating you."

My fingers massaged my temples, "So Shae was a lot weaker than me when he turned?"

Stitches' face turned grim, "No. He was actually likely to be stronger than you when he had turned to scourge. Your catalyst is like a cage for your powers. It lets out a little at a time, when you call on it. The more you acclimate to your catalyst, the more of the power it will allow you to have. When you fought Shae, your need to win forced your catalyst open, almost shattering it. That's where that burst of strength came from." I frowned, absorbing the information, "So…only people with Catalysts can become scourge?"

Isaac decided to pop in to the conversation, "No, actually. Anyone can become a scourge; it's just easier for those with a catalyst. Someone without a catalyst, who genetically developed their powers, have a more…genuine version of a catalyst. It's like the difference between an artificial limb and a real one. There's can break as well, it just won't break as easily…for now."

My stare beckoned him to continue, "Well, catalysts are a double edged sword. They break easily because your body isn't used to this power, and is more willing to take more than needed. However, catalysts that aren't broken will acclimate to your body rapidly and become stronger with use. The longer you have one, the sturdier it becomes." He tapped his chin, "I'm sure there was a point in your fight when Shae became a lot stronger and faster, correct?"

My nod was his incentive to continue, "Well, that is why scourge are so deadly. They can tap into their reservoir of power at will, and become far stronger than they currently are. You tapped into that very same reservoir, and it almost turned you." My eyes widened at the realization; that explained an awful lot.

Stitches cleared his throat, beckoning for our attention, "Anyways, I have prepared your new identity, Mac. You are now Shae Kartwall." He handed me a wallet, "That contains a new credit card, your passport, and your driver's license." He also handed me a small notebook, "That is more or less an autobiography of Shae's life. Everything that you will need to know will be in there."

He cleared his throat again, "Now to discuss the actual mission. Like I said a few months ago, our ultimate goal is to bring down this company. To do that, we need to monitor their financial transactions." He handed me a small access card, "That key card is your clearance into their LA building, do not lose it. When you get there, you will pose as the sole survivor of a brutal attack against the corporation, and you will request a spot as a financial consultant." He grinned, "It just so happens that the facilities latest financial consultant mysteriously died. I want you to be subtle about the request. Do not make it appear that it is your goal."

I nodded, an affirmation that I understood. "Good" he said, "Your cover story should be something along the lines of you surviving an attack against the Seattle outpost. You needed to report the attack, so you immediately booked a flight for LA, considering that it's the closest facility. Got it?"

Nodding again, he patted me on the back, "Good, good. If at any point it seems like they're on to you, it will be up to you to decide to stay or leave. Your life is more important than the success of this mission. If you do make it as their consultant, I will need you to gather as much information on their system as possible. I'm sure that they change their passwords weekly, if not daily. Look for anything that you can discretely get to us. Brandy and Trixey will be staying in a motel in downtown LA, about 15 miles away. Only go to them if you are in danger, never before."

"Alright." I muttered, my mind a bit jumbled.

Stitches put a hand on my shoulder, "Mac, above all else, remember that no matter how nice these people may seem, they are still scourge, and they would kill you given the chance. Don't get attached." I mumbled a quiet affirmation in response.

The rest of the day passed quickly. After Trixey and Brandy woke up, Stitches gave me my plane ticket and shipped me off to the airport, where my plane had just started loading. He told me that Trixey and Brandy would be on the next plane out.

I sighed and walked up the loading ramp, a clutter up people around me, my ticket already having been turned in.

The nice side of working for rich employers however, was the first class seating on plane rides. It was a very comfortable 4 hour flight. We only stopped once in Salem, Oregon, and soon enough the plane was touching down in Los Angeles.

I wrinkled my nose as I exited the airport; the air in this city was putrid, smoggy. I struggled to breathe evenly as I looked at the map Stitches had provided me. It would appear that I had about a 20 minute taxi ride to where I needed to go.

Flagging down a taxi, I slid into the backseat and pulled out my wallet. Looking inside, I noticed that the thing was bulging with cash, probably about 500 dollars' worth. I slapped a fifty into the cab drivers hand and gave him the address. The man looked at the bill, grinned greedily, and shot the cab out of the airport.

The cab ride was mostly uneventful, that is until we got flagged down by a young brunette girl on the side of the road. I sighed and hid my wallet, pretending to not notice her as she climbed into the taxi. I ignored her right up until she gave the same address I had given.

Our greedy cab driver grabbed the twenty out of her hand, "Aaah, lucky me. Two passengers going to the same place. How fortunate indeed."

I could feel her stare on the back of my head as I glared out the window. This was not a good start to my day. To make things worse, as soon as the driver pulled away from the curb, I could sense what I had been dreading; the girl was using her power. So she was a scourge. Just perfect.

I looked at her and used my own power, my eyes staring back into her startlingly bright hazel eyes. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips began moving, 'We're talking after we leave the cab' she mouthed to me.

Rolling my eyes, I glanced out the window again. I felt her power wash over me, it was oddly peaceful, comforting. I could hardly believe this belonged to a scourge. I would not however, just let her have her way. Using my own power, I forcefully removed her power from my body, my eyes once again connecting with hers. My mind began to wander as I stared into her eyes, they were so bright…very beautiful.

I was jerked out of my thoughts by the cab driver jerking to a halt in front of a very tall building. The words 'Pacific Telecommunications' were printed over the doorway. Blizzard really did know how to cover up its business.

Opening the cab door, I stepped into the blistering sunlight. It was very hot out today; incredibly uncomfortable.

I didn't get very far out of the cab before the girl from the cab was in front of me, her eyes staring into mine. "Who are you?" were the first words out of her mouth. "No one of your concern, girl." I said, trying to be as condescending as possible.

She scowled at me, "It is definitely of my concern if a stranger with power is going to walk into my workplace. Now show me some I.D. before I'm forced to incapacitate you."

I made myself as menacing as possible, my power swirling violently around me, "Remove yourself, child. I will not hesitate to hurt you." I growled at her. She wavered, if only slightly, before she lashed out at me.

The first punch was slow, slow enough for me to grab and twist around her back. I kicked the backs of her knees, causing her to fall to her knees on the hot pavement. She growled at me, her eyes turning a distinct blue, thoroughly eliminating any hope that she might not be a scourge.

She definitely became stronger, but not strong enough. My hold was firm. "Listen girl, I'm here to report an attack on our company. If you want to be the reason that I wasn't able to give that report in a timely fashion, then by all means, continue." I snarled in her ear. Her eyes widened, and her struggles ceased; her eyes turned back to their gorgeous hazel color. "I-I'm so sorry sir, I didn't realize you worked for us, sir." She stammered out.

I smirked at her, "Not only do I work for you, I was managing the outpost up in Seattle, you twit." To reinforce my claim, I whipped out my key card and showed it to her.

She gaped, "O-oh my god, I am terribly sorry, you'll have to forgive me…please don't tell Ms. Mitchell about what happened here…she'll terminate me!" the girl almost shrieked. I let her go, noting that we had drawn a bit of a crowd. "Shut your mouth and get inside. I have a report to give."

She hustled inside, whispering apologies to me; secretly I thought it was cute. I followed her in, flashing my keycard to the electronic lock on the main door.

The lock flashed green and I strolled in, loving the fresh air that came from the vents. I walked up to the front desk, "I need to talk to whoever's running this facility." I said, throwing as much authority into my voice as I could. The guard looked at me, bored, "Can I see some I.D.? Maybe then you can get in line with the rest of 'em"

Flashing him my access card, he gaped like a fish similarly to how the girl did. Apparently running your own facility made you big shit in this company.

He quickly pulled up a phone and dialed a long string of digits, before quietly speaking to someone on the other line. He quickly hung up and pointed to an elevator on my left, "That's the executive elevator. Take it to level 14 if you want to talk to Ms. Mitchell." He said, almost stuttering.

I nodded and strolled towards the elevator. After flashing it my keycard it opened and I stepped inside. I took a deep breath and pressed the button to level 14, watching the door close behind me, and leaving the security guard, and the flustered girl behind.

* * *

**Author's notes:**

**Phew, another chapter done. Similarly to last time, this one also was completed during the time I had no internet. It is also, like the last one, quite a bit longer than usual. Anyways, hope you liked it. I'll have quite a few chapters for you guys whenever this freaking internet is turned back on.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Perspective**

The elevator glided smoothly upwards, its gentle push unable to relieve the knot in my stomach. If I succeeded here in the next ten minutes, it would more or less be mission success.

The doors opened with a short 'ding', revealing a small white, rectangular office. The walls, floors, everything, was white as porcelain and a short rectangular desk was the only thing between me and the woman behind it, who currently had her back turned to me. On the desk was a small black laptop, and it seemed to be the only detectable light source; the rest of the light seemed to come out of the walls, since there were no windows in this cramped little area.

"Aaah. So this is the person who's been tormenting my employees all morning" came the honey sweet voice from over the desk. I stepped forward, "I would hardly call it tormenting. You know the master wouldn't have been so lenient." I countered, a smirk on my face.

A hint of a smile pushed at the side of her mouth as she turned to me. She had strawberry blonde hair, paired with dazzling blue eyes. She was tall, probably 6'3", and appeared to be in her late 20's; needless to say, she was quite intimidating. "This is true. I wonder how the master would react to a no-name druid impersonating him and delivering his judgments."

I gulped, half out of fake terror, half out of her questionable word choice; impersonating indeed. "I meant no disrespect of course. My purpose here is to report an attack." I stuttered out.

Her eyebrows rose, "An attack? Where?"

I cleared my throat, "In Seattle, our outpost in Washington. It was attacked last night by some powered ones."

Her eyes narrowed to slits, "And you escaped?" her words were chalked full of skepticism.

I kept the cool look on my face, "Escape? You know what the master does to cowards. I killed the assailants. I just figured you would like to hear about it." I spat out, my fake-ego swelling to blimp size.

"Well, I suppose you made the right choice, for once. Could you show me your I.D. card?" she questioned. I hastily pulled out my access card and handed it to her. She scanned the card over, and seemed pleased with whatever information she pulled off it. "Well, it appears you are indeed Shae Kartwall." She looked over my access card again, "So the manager of the Seattle facility was killed?" she threw in, nonchalantly.

I frowned, "Umm ma'am, I AM the manager of the Seattle facility. Err, or I was."

She visibly relaxed after I said that, "I know, I was making sure your story was straight. Now then, prove you're a druid."

I grinned, finally, an easy part. Tapping into the power, I drew a large vine out of the floor behind her, sliding it over her shoulder, and lightly poking her cheek with it. She looked at it irritably, "Alright. Get that thing out of my office before I rip your hands off."  
I grinned and rapidly withdrew the vine. "I figured that might be enough proof to you. The financial interns back at the office would always ask for crap like that when I was tutoring them." I put on a somewhat regretful face, to fill the façade.

She raised an eyebrow, "You have experience in finance?" Hook, line and sinker.

"Yeah, I took a few years of it in High School" I smoothly lied. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, "Do you think you would be able to fill in the role of financial consultant for a few weeks perhaps? Our old one had an accident a few days ago" she said, frowning.

I pretended to be surprised, "Yeah, absolutely! I've always wanted to work in one of the larger facilities."

She snorted, "It's no walk in the park, kid. We deal with every single Asian transaction; the master has been doing a lot of business with the Asians lately."

I grinned; perfect. "Ah, don't worry about it. What do you need me to do, bookkeeping?" I delicately inquired. She tapped her chin, "Yeah, a little bit of bookkeeping, but mainly you'll be overseeing transactions, making judgments calls and such. It's a pretty easy job. You may even get to visit the New York office and talk with the chief financial consultant" she said, "Drake Hanscom is our best financial specialist, it would be an honor for you to meet him." She finished. I forced a grin onto my face, "That WOULD be an honor. I hear he has a son as well, how is young Ben doing?"

She smiled, "Oh, you know Ben. Rash as always. From what I heard he's been inducted into some special training since he returned from his latest mission."

I nodded, "Yeah, I heard that he was up in the Washington area, investigating some powered ones."

She frowned, "Yeah, he was…ummm, maybe you guys don't know about this up in the North, but generally the 'normal powered ones' are referred to as heretics. It's just a less confusing term" she added. I widened my eyes, "Oh, alright. Well thank you, I wasn't aware of the naming."

She smiled in response, "Not a problem. Now, if you go downstairs and look for a Sarah Catriel she will take you to your desk. She's a finance intern, so you two can work together. In fact, I think she was the girl who umm…saw you in." she mentioned, a smile tugging at her lips.

I rubbed my temples; how annoying. "Alright. I'll talk to you some other time, Ms. Mitchell." I said as I walked back towards the elevator.

The girl in questioned was, oddly enough, waiting just outside the elevator when it opened. It was as if I'd never left, the constant stream of apologies spewing forth like a broken dam.

Pushing my fingers under her chin, I closed her mouth and pinched her lips shut. "Now then. All will be forgiven if you show me to the financial consultant's desk." I only got a weak nod in response.

I let go of her lips, noticing the light blush on her cheeks; wonderful.

Without a word, she spun around and walked the opposite direction from the elevator. Scooting past the guard's desk, we traveled down a small hallway, its walls an ugly beige color. The interior decorator must be color blind.

After taking several turns, we finally branched off into a stairwell, which we took to the 4th floor. Immediately upon exiting the stairwell, we took a sharp left, then another left, and a right. She stopped in front of a small white door.

Moving past her, I opened the door and strolled on in. It was a quaint office, the walls a peaceful white, and the desk a woodsy brown. I noticed an expensive looking laptop on the desk, and a smaller looking desk in the corner; the smaller one reminded me of the high school single desks. Sarah blushed and sat down in the smaller desk before pulling out a much smaller laptop from her bag. "I forgot to mention…I shared this office with our previous financial consultant, until he died that is."

I raised my eyebrow at the sight; it really was quite comical as she obviously was too big for the seat. I would have to grab another desk and pull it in here.

She seemed to blush even more under my stare, "So uhh…that's your desk and you have access to all local files on it. Unfortunately since you're new, you aren't cleared to log onto the network yet." She mumbled.

I nodded, "What about you? Do you have network access?" I questioned discretely. She shook her head, "No, interns aren't allowed onto the network. Safety procedures and such."

I tapped my chin, "Well alright. What do we do for now, then?"

Apparently she let her imagination run away with her however, as she wasn't able to do much except blush and gape like a fish for about 20 seconds. I snapped my fingers, pulling her out of her daydream, "Well uhh...we could umm…get…to know each other?" she finished, the last words barely audible.

I grinned. This was going to be the most amusing job ever, "Alright then. Why don't you go first. Tell me about yourself, your hobbies, dreams, aspirations…fetishes…" I tried to keep the smile off my face, tacking on the last part for comical purposes.

Her hands and neck turned a ghastly white as all the blood flew to her face. "I uhh..umm…well I umm…I like to write you see…stories and such and umm…I would someday like to be head of this facility and err…" she blushed a deeper red, she looked like she might be choking. I raised an eyebrow, somewhat concerned, before she finally spoke again, "S-sir...do I r-really have to tell you that?"

I couldn't do it. I could no longer keep the smile off my face as I roared out in laughter, actually toppling over my desk and nailing my head on the tile floor. The young intern squeaked and rushed over, staring at me as I continued to laugh loudly on the floor. "Th-that's not f-funny!" she managed to squeak out. I managed to pull myself together for a second, "Maybe for you it isn't, but it's absolutely hilarious for me"

Wiping my eyes of the tears that had formed, I weakly hauled myself off the floor, still chuckling lightly. She still looked somewhat annoyed at me, the blush was still very present on her face, but her arms were crossed just under her chest, and she was facing away from me.

"What about you, then?" she said to me. I raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

She turned around and huffed; "I told you about myself, why don't you do the same?" she looked genuinely intrigued behind the fake anger.

I bit my tongue, this could be potentially disastrous, "Well, you see, my hobbies include, but are not limited to, reading, video games, writing bad fiction stories, and messing with peoples' heads." I grinned at the last part, "My dreams? Well…I guess I've always wanted to be a part of a successful company since I was a boy, so I guess I'm living that dream." I grinned wickedly, my mind scheming, "As for fetishes…" I put on my best perverted look, "Well I've always wanted to try out the whole 'naughty secretary' thing"

She looked at me once in the eye, turned blood red, and promptly fainted.

I snorted and looked down at her unconscious form, still grinning. What a strange girl indeed.

**

* * *

(Sarah's POV) **

My eyes fluttered open, immediately releasing the torrent of thoughts that preceded my fainting spell. I rammed my eyes shut, feeling my face heat up, I had acted like such a dork!

I heard typing, quick accurate strokes on a keyboard, prompting me to peek my eye open. He was there, sitting at his desk, his fingers flying over the keyboard at quite a rapid speed; I didn't think I could type that fast.

His attention was completely devoted to the screen, his hand working the small attached mouse. His eyes were flitting all over the screen, occasionally narrowing. He must be scanning through the files on the computer.

I almost gasped as I realized that we were still in the office, and I was laying…on a bed of all things. I gingerly poked at the blanket I now realized was covering me; how in the world did he get a bed in here? I'm not sure why he went through all the trouble anyways, it's not like he was going to sleep here.

Though I managed to contain the gasp, I attracted his attention some other way, because his eye flicked over to me and he grinned. Ramming my eye shut, I pretended to be asleep while he strolled on over.

"Aww dang it. Here I was hoping that you'd finally woken up. Oh well, guess I'll just have to wake you up then" his voice floated softly over to me.

I continued pretending to be asleep; nothing he could do would force me to confront him after what he said! The first sign of his intentions came when he began childishly poking my cheek, shortly afterwards he decided it would be just hilarious to hold my nose shut. I was going to kill him.

Another gasp almost escaped my lips when his finger poked at my unprotected side; I was not, however, able to prevent the twitch that ran through my arm. I blushed as his voice floated into my ear again, "Oooh, ticklish are we? How very entertaining."

I ground my teeth together as he began deliberately poking at my sides, twitches shaking through my body, and the corners of my mouth pulling up in a painful smile. I was successful in my endeavors right up until I felt his finger glide lightly up the back of my neck. My face heated up to such an extreme that I probably could have ignited the pillow it was resting on, and a bone rattling shudder ran up my body right before I slapped his hand away.

"Alright!" I yelled at him, "I'm awake! Just stop it!" the flush on my face was unbearable as I glared at him. He raised his hands defensively, "Hey now, no need to get angry, you were the one trying to deceive me, after all. Some would call that bad manners."

I only glared at him, "Some would call it bad manners to make a lady faint, you jerk." I muttered.

He laughed, "Oh come on, Sarah. You were oh-so-apologetic an hour ago. Where did that go?"

I narrowed my eyes at him, "I didn't think you were a pervert an hour ago." A light clicked in my head, "And how do you know my name?" I asked, accusingly. He responded by pointing up, "Your boss told me. It's not a big deal, you already know mine."

I stared blankly, "I do?" my memory was pulling a blank. He stare back, "Yeah, I showed you my ID, remember? You made a terrific impression of a fish after seeing it." He sniggered at the memory. I frowned, "Aah…I actually didn't look at your name, I just looked at your clearance rank, which was high enough to scare me." I crossed my arms. He smiled and extended his hand, "Well then, my name is M-"he blinked once, as if he had remembered something, "M-my name is Shae, Shae Kartwall." He finished, beaming at me. I smiled and grabbed his hand, shaking it. He startled me by pulling me up, "Sorry about making you faint, I was just joking." He said, grinning.

I blushed at the memory, "Not a problem…it was just…unexpected." I managed to mumble out. I then remembered the bed, "Oh yeah…why did you bring a bed in here?"

His eyes flickered to the bed behind me, "Ah, well I didn't want you to have to sleep on the desk…" he grinned and looked away, as if picturing something, "Well…I don't think YOU would have liked that much."

I snorted, what a pervert, "I meant why go through the trouble? You could have just as easily dumped me on a couch in the lobby."

He looked alarmed for a split second, before grinning, "Ah, well this is going to be where I sleep for the next few weeks, so I decided to pull in a bed. Don't ask how I got it up here." He bit his lip, as if deciding to tack something on, "Besides, were you expecting me to carry you down four floors?" he said at last.

My eyes narrowed dangerously at him, "Are you calling me fat?"

The smile dropped off his face, and I could see him backpedaling rapidly, "Err no! Of course not! I just meant that you would have been woken from all the jostling, and probably would have been grumpy…" he finished, his hands held in front of him in a defensive gesture. I smirked, "Good. Glad we have that all cleared up." I glanced back at the bed, a blush creeping back onto my face. "So…are you really going to sleep here?" I asked quietly.

He looked at the bed again, "Yeah, don't have enough money for an apartment, and only enough for a few days at a motel. Might as well use what I have on food, rather than housing." He looked somewhat dejected, but smiled regardless.

I blushed more, and bit my lip, "Well…you could stay in my apartment…if you'd like…" I couldn't believe I was saying this, "You'll have to sleep on the couch, but it's better than in here…" the blood rushed to my face in torrents as I looked up, terrified of what he might say.

He looked absolutely shell shocked. His jaw was practically on the floor, as if this sort of thing didn't happen to him much. Surely someone of his rank had women clambering all over him?

He recovered rapidly, "Aah…erm…" well, sort of rapidly, "I don't want to be a bother to you…" he said, his face was heavily flushed. He was a completely different person than he was before…that terrifyingly powerful man I'd met in the cab…had it all been an act?

I smiled at him, my own blush heating up, "You won't be a bother. Besides, I doubt that they'd let you sleep here overnight. Security has been very tight lately." He almost looked disappointed, but the look vanished immediately. He smiled back at me, "Well, I guess I have to accept now don't I? I hear that the sidewalk is very uncomfortable this time of year." He joked.

He snapped his fingers, "Ah! That reminds me. Time to get you some proper seating arrangements." Kicking open the door, I could only gape as he dragged the 600 pound bed out the door. Mere minutes later, he re-entered the room, dragging in a large wooden desk, similar to his. I guess he borrowed it from an adjacent office. He disappeared and returned once more with a rather cozy looking adjustable office chair. He pushed it against the desk and gestured at it, "Your new seat. Nobody that will be working under me will do so in something like that" he said, jerking his thumb over at the smaller desk. To reinforce his point he kicked the old desk out into the hallway, causing it to splinter as it impacted the opposite wall.

My blush seemed to burn hotter than ever as I looked at him, he was beaming brightly like a dog that just brang back some form of dead animal. He seemed very sweet, despite his very violent first impression; he was undoubtedly deserving of his rank. I smiled back as I saw his blush deepen, his shaggy hair hid his eyes, but I noticed that they were hazel, like mine. He seemed genuinely happy in such a way that would suggest that he didn't feel like this often.

His smile faltered for just a moment, as if something crossed his mind. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to ask something, but closed it. He looked to the side, biting his cheek, before finally spitting it out, "Are you sure your boyfriend won't mind me staying there?" he blurted out before looking away. I frowned, quickly thinking back, trying to remember any time when I'd mentioned a boyfriend. I could think of none.

"I don't have a boyfriend, Shae. I don't think that will be an issue." He looked relieved, and it clicked in my head that he must have been checking if I had a boyfriend or not; he wasn't particularly subtle about it.

I couldn't wrap my head around how different he was. He was such a completely different person from earlier, that I could only conclude one thing: His display earlier had been an elaborate act to display some form of dominance. I didn't understand why he would want to do that, he was so much more likeable when he was so carefree…peaceful…

Glancing at him, I noticed that his blush had grown, and his mind was apparently working quite rapidly, maybe thinking about sleeping at my apartment…

"A-anyways, I have some reports to type up, you probably won't have to do anything for a while. Basically you only have to look over transactions and give the yes or no on them. Each day you will receive a stack in that bin" I said, pointing to a black bin on his desk, "and you have to complete it by the end of the day. The bin will contain transaction papers from our various Asian correspondents. If it doesn't seem like a good deal for us, check no, if it is a good deal, check yes. Fairly simple."

He nodded and grinned, "So basically I'll have most of the day to myself?"

I nodded in affirmative, "It didn't take Dean more than an hour to complete even the largest stacks, and he was more or less an idiot. You'll have it down in no-time." I smiled up at him, "If you ever need anything, all you have to do is ask, but more likely than not I'll be asking you the questions."

Seeing that he was properly educated in his daily work, I sat down at my new fancy desk, enjoying the new comfy chair. I gave it a quick spin and giggled, but blushed as I noticed Shae staring at me with a smile on his face. Turning around, I quickly opened my laptop and began typing up my report which was due tomorrow at noon. I figured I'd have it done before we left tonight.

I began typing it up, and within minutes Shae was standing behind me, watching me work. It didn't particularly bother me, but I did pull up my shirt; it somehow wouldn't surprise me if he tried and catch a peek down it.

The rest of the day passed rather quickly, as I expected I finished the report before we left, and Shae spent the remaining 5 hours standing dutifully behind me, watching my work intently.

I sighed and hefted my bag over my shoulder, glancing at the clock I noticed it was 6 pm; time to leave. Shae followed my eyes and looked towards the clock, smiling.

The walk to the street was rather uneventful as well; Shae was uncharacteristically quiet as he followed me. Glancing back, I noticed that he was very deep in thought, almost running into a wall.

I whistled loudly and waved, attracting the attention of a coming taxi. It pulled over and I slid in, tugging on Shae's pants so that he'd do the same. He blinked and mirrored me, seemingly still lost in thought. I put a twenty into the cab driver's hand and he quickly pulled away from the curb, shooting towards my apartment.

The look on Shae's face went farther away from lost in thought and closer to sadness as we approached my apartment. It was almost as if he'd come across some horrible realization on the way over here. The cab pulled over and Shae quickly scooted out of the car; I followed him, and blushed when he courteously helped me out. Glancing up towards my apartment, I noticed something off, my light was on. I frowned and expressed my concern to Shae. He glanced up and frowned as well, beckoning me to head up there, he was going to take a different route.

Following his orders, I ran through the front door of the apartment complex, quickly sprinting towards the stairs. It didn't take me more than 10 seconds to get up to my room and unlock the door.

The scene awaiting me in my apartment was almost comical.

Shae had climbed up the emergency fire escape, slipped in through my open window, and was now holding the intruder up by his neck against the wall. The only problem was, the intruder was my ex-boyfriend, and he had a bouquet of roses in his hand.

"Shae! Stop!" I yelled, almost laughing. He glanced back at me, "Oh, you know this guy?" he asked.

"Yes! Yes! That's Mac! My ex-boyfriend!" he froze at these words, obviously shocked at the realization. He looked at me again, a look of shock and horror on his face, "What was his name?" he gasped out at me, his words barely audible.

I frowned, that was not the question I'd been expecting, "Erm…his name is Mac…we used to date…"

A series of emotions played over his face, he looked back towards the door, anxiety rolling over his features. "A-ah" he finally managed to mumble, "M-Mac, not exactly a common name, eh?" he muttered, almost laughing. I frowned more, his behavior was very strange. He dropped Mac, who nursed his bruised throat. Mac snarled up at him, his onyx eyes piercing at Shae's, "What the fuck was that for? I should kill you for being such a dick! This isn't even your place!"

Shae seemed to have gotten over whatever was bothering him, "Kill me, eh? Wanna give it a go, big shot?" His hazel eyes pierced right back; I could feel him tapping into his power. Mac snarled back at him, and before I could interfere, he'd grabbed the knife from the holder in his sock and swiped at Shae.

Shae looked bored as he lazily dodged the attack, "You're quite slow you know. What are you, a rogue?"

"Mac! Stop it!" I screamed. Shae froze for a moment, before shaking it off, "You really should listen to the lady, _Mac_" he said, almost mocking the name.

"Shae! You knock it off too!" he only rolled his eyes in response before strolling towards the door, "I'll go ahead and give you two some privacy." He said curtly before leaving.

I let out a scream before grasping at my hair. I looked at Mac, "You! Sit! Stay!" I yelled, pointing at him, before storming out the door. Shae hadn't gotten far, only halfway down the hallway, as if he'd hoped I'd come after him. Tapping into my power, I sent it at him, attempting to calm him down. He slowed, before finally coming to a stop and leaning against the wall, "You know, priest power isn't nearly as effective at calming as druid power is" he said over his shoulder. Shortly afterwards I could feel his power swarming out from him; it was like a tidal wave in comparison to my stream.

It washed over me, calming me rapidly; I could barely stand to be mad at him anymore.

I grabbed his shoulder and pushed him against the wall, he didn't resist. He looked down at me with a look in his eyes that terrified me, it was a completely dead look, and no life flitted through his eyes as I had seen earlier; it reminded me of the eyes of a corpse. He grinned at me, though I could tell it was fake, "Don't worry about me. You really think I can't find a place to stay?" he said.

I frowned and poked his forehead, "Come on big shot. You're coming back to my apartment, then you're going to apologize to my ex, then you're going to go sleep on the couch. Comprende?" I said, trying to get him to smile. A smile is not what I got, "I won't apologize to him, but I will come back." He said stiffly. I sighed in exasperation, "Look! I'm sorry, okay? I didn't expect him to show up tonight."

The words didn't seem to register with him, "It's fine. I just don't want to _intrude_ on anything." He said, emphasizing the word. I squinted up at him, "Are you _jealous_?" I asked incredulously.

He rolled his eyes, "Jealous? Of that guy? Yes. I totally envy a creep who breaks into women's apartments at night and doesn't even have the strength to defend himself. He really is the star of my dreams."

I snorted at him, "He's not THAT bad. And besides, there was nothing to intrude on. He usually stops by once every month or so and gives me flowers."

He looked down at me, his expression a mix between untrusting and frustrated. He finally shook his head and started walking back to the apartment, "If that's the case then I'll kindly see him out. I'll try not to kill him."

He got to the apartment before me; thankfully however, Mac had left in my absence, slipping out the fire escape window.

Shae nudged the flowers on the floor with his foot, "Ex-boyfriend huh? Odd way of showing his detachment."

I shifted uncomfortably, I knew that Mac still liked me, or loved me; I couldn't be sure.

"He's just lonely. It doesn't mean anything" I lied.

Shae yawned and jumped on the couch, "Yeah, well it's not like it's any of my business."

I didn't respond, and before long I could hear soft snores coming from the couch; he'd fallen asleep sitting upright. I smiled and threw a blanket over him before heading towards the shower.

The shower was long, hot and steamy, relaxing my muscles. Turning off the water, I prayed that Shae was still asleep; I had to get to my room to get dressed. Wrapping a towel around my chest, I carefully peeked my head out the door, assessed that he was indeed still asleep, and bolted towards my room, where I slipped inside and got dressed.

Coming out of my room, I was wearing my traditional nightwear of a large t-shirt that stretched to my knees, and a pair of baggy sweatpants.

Skipping into the kitchen, I pulled out a bottle of sleep medicine, popped two into my mouth, and swallowed them before returning to the living room. Might as well watch TV until I was tired, and judging from the snores, I doubt Shae would be awakened by the TV. I nimbly jumped over the back of the couch and got comfortable next to my snoring temporary roommate.

I flipped through the channels, looking for anything in particular, and decided to settle with the science channel. Maybe I could be bored to sleep.

Sure enough, it was an informative hour long show about the intelligence of the Octopus.

Barely fifteen minutes into the show I could feel my eyelids getting heavy, and not 45 minutes had passed before I drifted lazily into the realm of unconsciousness.

**

* * *

Author's Notes: *yawn* yet another chapter, finished with noooooo internet. More likely than not, if you see this in the year 2010, then that means I've gone up to my friend's house to upload it. Anyways guys, hoped you liked it; writing this chapter nearly put me to sleep. For those of you who had been bugging me about romance, well there you go. More to come, I assure you.**

**My special regards to Octopinky and CaptainPrice who have been fantastic reviewers as of late. Hopefully you two aren't terribly horrified from the delay.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Complications**

**(Mac's POV)**

I had never liked waking up in the midst of things I couldn't explain; however, as my eyes slowly opened, and I glanced down at the sleeping girl curled up against my chest, I decided that there was an exception to that rule.

I didn't dare move as I continued to stare down; I had to be dreaming. If I was dreaming, then this had to be a lucid dream, due to the self-awareness. I bit my lip, it certainly didn't seem like a dream, despite how strange this circumstance was, nothing seemed to be defying the laws of physics and reality.

My face started heating up rapidly, this girl apparently liked to cuddle in her sleep, because she had gotten both of her arms under my shirt, somehow, and she had wrapped them both around my waist, pulling herself against me in her sleep; I involuntarily shuddered as her fingers twitched slightly against my back. There was also the matter of her wardrobe; she was wearing a large t-shirt, and a pair of sweatpants. Despite the size of the t-shirt, the thing had managed to slide halfway up her abdomen; its lack of density also alerted me to the fact that she wasn't wearing a bra.

Biting my lip, I weighed my options. The raging fire that my hormones had started was urging me to take advantage of this situation; the girl had only brought it upon herself. The small little voice in the back of my head, aka my conscience, was telling me that I should just gently wake her up and pretend I hadn't seen anything.

Thinking back on my life, I morbidly realized that the odds of this ever happening again were slim to none; might as well have a little fun in the meantime.

Smirking to myself, I lifted my arm from the back of the couch. I grunted and lifted it up, recirculating my blood through it. After the limb had restored its blood flow, I bit my lip and rested my hand on the small of the girl's back. I could feel a small source of heat radiate from her face, causing me to freeze, could you blush in your sleep? After a couple of seconds of skeptically analyzing her breathing pattern, I decided that if she was awake, she could stop me at any time.

I bit my lip and gently traced my finger up Sarah's spine as she lay against me. She squirmed, and something akin to a moan escaped her lips, causing me to blush slightly. I continued lightly dragging my finger up and down her spine, her moans becoming slightly more audible.

She twitched lightly, and repositioned her head so that her face was only inches from mine. I gulped, looking down at her lips, which were slightly parted in her sleep. The urge to bend my neck, just two inches, was incredible. It wouldn't take more than a second, and my lips could be against hers.

My imagination seemed to be running away with me, it almost seemed like her head was tilting up towards mine.

A fiery burst of shame filled my stomach as I glanced down at her innocent sleeping form again; coupled with the memory of Stitches' warning, "_Don't get attached…_" I sighed internally. How could she possibly be evil? Surely the scourge can't all be bad?

Pushing the thought aside, I pulled my arm from her back, using it to lightly shake her shoulder, "Hey, Sarah? Can I get up please?" I asked as her eyes lightly fluttered open.

She blinked, looking at me, and then looking down at our body positioning.

She moved faster than I had ever seen her move before, jumping backwards so fast that she actually tumbled off the side of the couch. I sighed; I figured that's how she would react.

Crawling to the edge of the couch, I looked down at her. She was laying on her back on the living room floor, her legs twisted together in some odd jumble, and her arms tossed over her head. She cursed and looked up at me, a radiant blush on her face.

"I-I'm so sorry" she sputtered out, "I m-must have fallen as-as-asleep on the couch"

I raised my eyebrow, "Calm down, I'm not mad or anything." I said, smiling. She gulped and looked at me again, "I-I just wanted to m-make sure" she said, stuttering still, her eyes seemed to be watering. My eyes widened and I crawled over the couch and helped her up gently, "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself on the fall?" I asked, but this seemed to only inspire tears to form and drip down her cheeks.

I looked at her, alarmed, "H-hey…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you…should I leave? I can take a cab back to the office…" I mumbled, looking around wildly. This only seemed to upset her, tears streaming down in waves, "W-Why aren't y-you angry? Y-Your g-girlf-friend i-is probably w-worried" she said, tears streaming down.

I blinked. Girlfriend? Where the fuck had that come from?

"Uh..Sarah, I don't have a girlfriend…" I said, trying to calm her down. She only looked at me as if I'd kicked her dog, "L-Liar. Y-You're j-just a big l-liar. S-S-Should have kn-known…"

I gaped at her, what on earth was going through this girls head? "Sarah…I promise you, I don't have a girlfriend. I've been single for the last three years, just…calm down." I said, starting to get a little frustrated.

She continued to cry, not looking at me, "L-liar! You don't get to be the m-manager of a facility without p-picking up a h-h-hot g-girlfriend along the way" she sputtered out. "You s-should be angry at me, waking up like that…"

I frowned, watching her facial expressions….no way…

For the first time in my life, I was utterly at a loss for words. It HAD to be that time of the month, because this was the biggest emotional whirlwind I had ever seen out of a girl.

Sighing, I put a hand on her arm, trying to comfort her, "Sarah, I can't do anything more than promise you that I am single. Look…I don't want to upset you…I've just…" I grasped for words, but couldn't think of any. Luckily, her crying had seemed to die down, "You promise?" she questioned, her eyes red and puffy. I nodded, "I promise"

I let my power wash over her, calming her down. She closed her eyes and leaned against the side of the couch, sniffling occasionally.

Most of me wanted to go to her, to comfort her more, but the logical part of me told me to stay away. She was angry and frustrated, for some strange reason, and I didn't want to aggravate her further.

Idly I looked over at the calendar on her wall. Saturday. Good; that means we didn't have to go in for work.

I lead her over to the couch and let her lie down on it, covering her with the blanket. She huddled up against it and hugged her legs to her chest. She looked betrayed, for some reason. I rubbed my temples, why did girls have to be so weird?

Walking into the kitchen, I found the coffee pot and quickly began a new pot of coffee.

I slipped back into the living room and sat down next to her. She seemed to have calmed down, looking more ashamed than betrayed. She glanced over at me, "I'm sorry for that…I just…" she looked down again, a light blush on her cheeks. I reached over and lightly patted her leg, "Its fine. You just caught me by surprise. Dealing with women had never been a specialty of mine." I said, listening to the brewing coffee, "Most people say I'm just too daft to realize what a girl actually means or wants. So don't take it personally if I don't always understand what you mean by things"

She giggled, covering her mouth, and wiping the tears from her eyes, "I just figured you were a big shot kind of guy who had women clambering all over him."

My eyes widened, and I stared at her for a couple minutes before snorting loudly, "Pretty far off base there, Sarah. Been single for the past three years, and my first and only girlfriend dumped me because I was an ass to her. I am by no means a romantic guy."

She bit her lip, "You were an ass to her? I…I dunno…I don't see it in you. You've been very sweet to me, well…aside from the cab incident…" she said, giggling.

I sighed, "If only you knew. For instance, if you even saw a fraction of the perverted thoughts that flew through my head this morning when I woke up; I don't think you'd like me so much." I said, gauging her reaction.

She only grinned at me and then looked down at herself, "Perverted? Well why don't you give me a sample of those perverted thoughts?" she said, giggling.

The response was so unexpected that I could only sit there and gape like a fish at her. Not to be outdone, I quickly recovered and retorted, "Well…you know I would…but last time I let you peer into my mind you passed out." I said, a smirk on my face.

She sputtered for a moment, "W-Well I was only pretending to be asleep, remember? I never really passed out." The lie was so unconvincing that I almost laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, Sarah. You're just too afraid to admit how flustered you were."

She smirked at me, "Okay then, Mr. Big Shot. Think you can make me pass out again?"

I grinned evilly, looming over her. My hand teased her hips as I bent down close to her, my lips barely grazing her ear. I lightly brushed my lips against her ear as my hands squeezed her hips once, "I know I can…" I whispered lightly into her ear. She squeaked, turned bright red, and promptly passed out again.

I snorted and laughed, waaaaay too easy. My triumph did not last long however, as I saw her body turn to mist before my eyes, fading away…

I felt a pair of hands, soft as silk teased my shoulder, and I could feel her press herself against my back. Her lips brushed my ear this time, and I shuddered as her breath teased my neck, "_Just kidding…_" she whispered sexily.

I whipped around and pressed my back against the back of the couch, my heart beating in my throat. I glared at her, as she smirked back at me, "You okay there, Shae? You seem a little flustered…"

"Sh-shut it" I gasped out at her, my hand clutching my chest, "You just caught me off guard…" the lie didn't sound very convincing to me, and she seemed to agree as she pulled back and giggled.

"Geez Shae, you really do get flustered easily…if I didn't know better, I'd say you were a…" she stopped, her eyes scanning over me. Terror filled my soul as a disbelieving smile flitted across her face, "Oh. My. _God!_" she almost screamed at me, "You're a virgin!"

I groaned and buried my face in a pillow, as she cackled above me. "O-oh my g-gaaaawwwwd. I-I can't freaking be-believe thissss" she said, giggling all the while.

My face turned scarlet, I had never been so embarrassed in my life, "Shut up. I TOLD you that I wasn't a romantic guy."

She was rolling around the floor now; it seriously wasn't that funny.

Growling, I pounced on Sarah, pinning her arms above her head and looking down at her. "Let me make once thing perfectly clear" I whispered, my breath teasing her ear, "My virginity does not in any way change anything. I could get you so flustered that you wouldn't be able to control yourself, if I wanted." I muttered, grinning. She looked up at me, a blush on her cheeks, and before I could comprehend what was happening, she had pushed her face against mine; her lips mashing against my own.

My mind went into overdrive, thinking back, every kiss I'd ever shared with Shelby…none of them had been like this…

Oh god. Shelby.

I groaned internally, Shelby was probably watching this…

She broke the kiss finally, her blush covering her entire face. I looked down at her, her eyes just as beautiful as I'd first seen them…

Her blush deepened and she looked away, "I-I'm sorry…" she said, her voice containing just a touch of hope.

Stitches warning flooded through my mind again and a variety of horrifying scenarios ran through my brain. I looked down at the girl beneath me and thought only three words.

Fuck the organization.

Tilting her chin towards me, I returned the kiss in earnest, grinning to myself as her eyes rolled back in her head. If I was going to complete this mission, I was at least going to enjoy myself in the process.

The actual realization of what I was doing slammed into me like a sack of bricks as I finished the kiss; I was making out with a girl I'd met less than twenty-four hours ago…Dear god. I broke off the kiss, looking down at her. Not knowing what to say, I stood up, pulling her with me. It was probably the most awkward moment of my life.

After a long while of just sitting on her couch I turned to her, "Are…Are you angry with me?" I asked, tentatively.

She looked at me, a strange expression on her face; "No…I'm just…I'm not sure what I'm feeling right now, but I don't think it's anger." She said, trying to smile. Clearly she had come to the same realization that I had.

"I'm sorry." I muttered. She looked at me again, "Do you regret it?"

My eyes widened suddenly, "Regret it? No…I just…well I don't know, really; can't say I've had a lot of experience dealing with women."

She giggled at me, "I still have a hard time believing that."

I looked down at myself; she had a point. The catalyst had turned my 18 year old body into that of a 25 year old body builder. Had I grown up looking like this, I probably would have been swarmed with women.

I sighed in frustration; if this girl was faithful to Arthas…then I could never tell her. I could never, ever reveal my life to her.

I looked at her, "Yeah, I suppose you have a point. I'd have a hard time believing it too."

She frowned at me, "What do you mean?" This was the crossroads. I had two choices; tell her, and hope to god that she wasn't loyal to Arthas, or not tell her…and use her until I had to leave. I shuddered; this was not a decision I should have to make.

Biting my lip, I looked at her, "Have you…have you ever questioned your allegiance to Arthas?"

I expected outrage, I expected anger, I expected hatred…I did not her to look at me with a quizzical expression. "Allegiance? What are you talking about?"

I frowned, "Your…your loyalty to Arthas, to Blizzard…have you ever questioned it?" she blinked at me, then a look of understanding crossed her mind.

"Oooooh. I know what you're talking about. Shae, only senior officers in the corporation have to actually loyally serve Arthas." She smiled and bopped herself on the head, "I'm only an intern, as you saw; I'm not strong enough to warrant a senior position. Blizzard is nothing more to me than a really, really sweet job. You wouldn't believe the medical we receive…"

I was…I was flabbergasted, to say the least. I was under the impression that all scourge were unconditionally allied to Arthas…bound to serve him….forced.

"So…you're not forced to serve him?" I asked, very carefully. This sparked a raised eyebrow, "Of course not…Are you?" she questioned back. I was now treading in very dangerous territory. "Well…no…but…" I said, trying to keep her off my trail.

I coughed, "I just haven't been…turned…for all that long…I'm still new to this whole thing" I said, shrugging.

She sighed and looked at me, "Yeah, I can see that. Arthas isn't forcing us to do anything. If anything, he offers us protection."

That shocked me, "Protection? What could y-…we possibly need protection from?" I asked tentatively. Her gaze darkened, "The heretics…They hunt us, killing us off; one by one. They consider us disposable, and look at us as liabilities." She looked to the side, "They think that because we couldn't control our powers that we're…evil…malignant…" she sniffed lightly, before turning to me, "But we're not! We just…as corny as it sounds we're just misunderstood…well…most of us, anyways."

I tried as I might to keep my jaw from the floor; did Stitches and the others really hunt off these people like this girl claimed?

I blinked, "Most of us? Are there scourge that are genuinely evil?"

She sniffed again, "Yes. Arthas and Drake Hanscom are perfect examples. They are pure evil, and they SHOULD be destroyed…but not all of us are like that…like you…I've never seen a manager act like you, Shae..." she finished, looking up at me.

My mind buzzed, I had to tell her; I had to get her out of here. I clenched my fist; I couldn't though…I couldn't just take her out of LA…

I sighed and looked at her, "Yeah…well I tend to surprise people by acting outside the norm."

Hearing the coffee pot gurgle, I stood up and waltzed to the kitchen. I yawned and poured myself a cup; what a freaking day.

It took a lot to sneak up on me these days, but apparently there were certain mages who could still get behind me undetected.

"Some would see this as betrayal, Mac." Her voice floated from over my shoulder. It took a great deal of self-control not to whirl around.

"Perhaps. And some would consider it an opportunity to complete the mission early" I replied smoothly, as I turned around; "Or are you not referring to the mission?"

Brandy was standing behind me, in this woman's kitchen, her arms crossed over her chest. She didn't look mad, or disappointed, just curious.

"You know, I thought Trixey was exaggerating when she said that you tried to shack up at every left turn." She smiled as she looked towards the living room, "It appears that she actually understated it."

I snorted, "Oh give me a break. She invited me here to sleep; nothing more, nothing less."

Brandy raised an eyebrow, "So…that little kiss you two shared was nothing? Really Mac, I don't recall there being that much foreplay involved in sleeping."

I blushed; this was not a good start to the day. "Got carried away. The mission is going without a hitch." She smiled at me, "Glad to hear it. Just remember that the more you get attached, the harder it will be to break away."

I frowned, "Yeah. I suppose we'll see."

She didn't seem interested in talking any longer however, because a short 'pop' later, she was gone.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead, only to be shocked by Sarah's hand on my shoulder; "You okay, Shae? I thought I heard muttering in here…" she said, looking around.

"Yeah, I tend to talk to myself a lot." I said, the lie rolling smoothly off my tongue. It was getting easier by the day.

"Oh…" she said, not sounding fully convinced. I decided to not let her think about it, "So what will your ex think about this?" I said, trying to sound nonchalant. She snorted, "Does it matter? We had our go together and it didn't work out so well. He can't get mad at me for this."

I smirked, "Yeah, but he can get mad about me holding him up against a wall. Admittedly that was kind of a dick thing to do."

She giggled a bit at the memory, "Yeah, well Mac doesn't take change very well. You showing up and easily kicking his ass was certainly a change for him." I gulped nervously; I seriously wondered what the odds of another fucker being named Mac were. It was NOT a common name.

I laughed nervously, "Heh. Well, I can't say it was difficult. He can't have had much training."

She shifted nervously, "Well uh…that's because Mac hasn't…he hasn't turned yet."

I spit out my coffee all over the wall before whipping around, "What!" I immediately regretted my outburst though, because she had shrunken away from me, looking fearful. "P-Please don't kill him! He'll turn! He just needs…" she wanted to continue, but I waved my hands in front of her, "No, no, no. I don't want to kill him or force him to turn…I was just…shocked, is all. I didn't think you would have associated with heretics."

She relaxed, "Oh, well…yeah, some of us do. Most of the powered ones on Arthas' payroll are too…corrupted to really connect to."

"Aaah…" I had intended to add onto the sentence, but several things attracted my attention at the same time.

Firstly, the lighting in the room faded just a shade, as if someone had turned on a power-guzzling space heater or something. Secondly, Sarah's eyes flickered past me; just a centimeter to the right, before widening considerably. Thirdly, I could sense the jerk-off using his powers with no restraint whatsoever.

Shooting my hand backwards, I located his wrist and sharply wheeled my body around. His arm contorted, bending at an ugly angle, the knife in his hand slipping to the floor.

His onyx eyes pierced mine as he tried to contain to scream of pain and rage that was bubbling from his lips.

"Hello again, Romeo." I said, trying to be as condescending as possible, "If I do recall, you were the one lecturing me on proper etiquette in another's home. Quite the hypocrite if I do say so myself."

Mac glared up at me, his rage almost palpable, "Fuck you, you low-life puppet!"

I twisted his arm more, "Also, if my memory serves me, this is now the second time in as many days that you have tried to kill me. Some would not be so lenient in letting you keep your life, boy." I twisted his arm more, fracturing his wrist, before delivering a sharp kick to his face, causing him to fly backwards.

Sarah didn't interfere, though she looked appalled, clearly torn between risking her own life, and saving Mac's. I sighed; she should know that I wouldn't hurt her…well…not under the current circumstances.

Mac growled at me, but didn't get back up. I decided to lighten up a bit, "If you can keep that knife in it's sheathe for a few minutes, and then maybe I can heal that arm of yours. All you have to do is swallow your pride."

"Fuck you."

I rolled my eyes; I expected that answer. I glanced back over at him, "I can see that you're right-handed. Next time, steady your weight on your left side, that knife is meant to slash, not stab; you'll kill people by causing them to bleed out. If you keep all of your weight in your knife thrust, then you will be vulnerable to a counter attack should you miss, which you will undoubtedly will."

He narrowed his eyes at me, "And why should I take your advice? You're a mangy druid."

I snarled at him, genuinely offended; "Because I just so happened to have personally trained with one of the best damn rogues alive. She would have torn you to shreds without blinking, you little shit."

I contemplated hurting him more, but thought better of it; "The fact that a 'mangy druid' beat you in hand-to-hand combat without breaking a sweat is testament to how pathetic you are. I'd take all the damn advice I could get if I were you."

He snorted before very reluctantly holding out his arm, his head turned away from me.

To make the experience less embarrassing for both of us, I refrained from touching him, simply extending my power from a distance, fixing his wrist before working up to his elbow.

As soon as I'd finished he jerked his arm back, gently rubbing the fixed areas. It may have been my imagination, but I thought I heard a whisper of the words 'thank you' escape his lips.

I stood up abruptly and looked at Sarah, who looked mentally exhausted.

"I'm going to head out for a while. I'll be back later tonight." I said, glancing between the two of them, "Try and stay out of trouble." That being said, I turned and briskly walked out the door; they probably had a few things to discuss.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**By far my least favorite chapter. This one literally took me weeks to finish, though I don't know if that was because it was difficult to write, or because I just didn't feel like writing. Still without internet, though it's looking better; with any luck it will be back on by January.**

**Until next time.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Fatal Encounters**

The following week passed without incident; the mission was going smoothly. The following Wednesday they had given me network access, allowing me to view the company's shipping records. As Sarah had said, the work was extremely easy, allowing me to spend hours of the day analyzing their shipping transactions.

Arthas was a smart little cookie; he never planned any shipments more than a month in advance, and at the beginning of every month all shipments were canceled, than re-assigned for different dates. The latter fact I had only learned because on July 1st, which was Thursday, every transaction disappeared and then reappeared an hour later, scrambled.

I was now presented with bad news. Since he never planned any long-term shipments, any information I brought back would quickly expire.

In other words, our only option left was to destroy or incapacitate this facility; Stitches was going to be disappointed.

There was also another problem; I was now on a very small timeframe. As of this morning, a small calendar update had been notched for tomorrow, which read: "Monthly corporate inspection – Headed by Drake Hanscom"

I stared at the calendar long and hard; that was not good, not good at all. There was simply no way that I wouldn't be inspected; I had to be out of here before then.

I groaned and rested my head on my hands; this is not how I wanted this to go…

Sarah…Sarah…Sarah…

What the bloody fuck was I going to do about Sarah?

I hit my head on the desk, several times. Stitches warned me! He explicitly told me that this would happen, and yet here I am. One final shattering slam from my skull caused the desk's oak top to fracture, startling the person who had just walked into the room.

"Is the work really that bad today?" Sarah said, looking at me worriedly. She had her morning coffee in hand, and a groggy look on her face.

"Nah, just misplaced a report that I'll have to end up re-typing" I said, groaning. The lie didn't even sound reasonable this time.

Blood leaked over the desk's top. I didn't heal the wound; I deserved some form of punishment for the horrifying actions I'd be forced to commit tomorrow…

She sighed and forcefully tilted my head up, forcing her power over the wound. It tingled, and slightly burned before healing; I can't imagine she's used her powers for healing very much.

She frowned down at me, "You know, for a CEO, you certainly need a lot of babysitting"

I waved my hand feebly at her, "Blah, blah, blah. Give me a break, I get that enough from my mother."

An awkward silence bloomed, lasting about a minute.

"Mac's been acting weird lately" she said offhandedly, completely out of the blue. "He says that you're doing something that will hurt me."

My blood froze, there's no way…could he have caught on to what I was doing? How?

I put on my best uncaring voice, "If that involves killing your ex-boyfriend, then yeah, I'm working up to that."

She looked at me and glared, "Don't bullshit me. You ARE up to something, aren't you?"

My blood tingled and burned all at once, I was completely at a loss for words, I didn't know what to say…

"I wouldn't hurt you if I had any choice in the matter" I mumbled out.

She kneeled down next to me, her hand on my arm, "Just tell me…you've been in a bad mood the last couple of days, so I can't imagine that you WANT to do whatever this is…"

I looked into her eyes…I wanted nothing more than to just tell her everything, that the Shae Kartwall she knew was buried six feet under, and that I was an undercover spy…but I couldn't. I shuddered and bit my lip, I hadn't been this distraught in a long time…I really liked this girl…

"I have to leave. Tomorrow. I won't be coming back." My lips betrayed me, spilling out this information.

She paled, "L-leave? Shae…Shae what are you involved in? What's wrong? You can tell me…Shae, you can't leave, Arthas will hunt you down! You're too valuable!" she sputtered, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Arthas won't find me. I'll be fine. It would be for your own safety if you just…" I wanted to continue, but something caught my eye on the computer screen; a last minute calendar change, moving the corporate inspection…to today.

"Shit." I said to myself; I was out of time.

I looked around, panicked. Turning to Sarah, I began quickly mumbling, "Change of plans. I'm leaving today. I'm giving you a choice, you can either stay here and forget about me, or you can come with. I'll be at the airport at 6 pm, make sure you a-"I was interrupted by the sound I very much didn't want to hear, the sound of an approaching helicopter.

I flew past her, leaving her gaping and confused to look out the window, and sure enough…the helicopter with Drake Hanscom was incoming. It was still a mile or so away, but I had to hurry.

Quick as I could, I flew back to the computer terminal, whipping around Sarah again. Digging through my pocket, I found what I was looking for, a small flash drive. I pushed the flash drive into the PC, quickly opening up its contents. This small data storage device contained a simple folder, a folder loaded up with a computer virus; a computer virus designed to corrupt or delete ANY files it was exposed to.

I dragged the file off the flash drive and took a deep breath before copying it to the 'Network Files' folder, the folder that was directly connected to ALL of the facilities terminals.

Sarah seemed to have snapped out of her daze, "Shae! What are you doing! You know you can't upload anything to the network! You'll set off the-"she didn't get to finish her sentence as alarms began blaring throughout the building. I ignored it, focusing on the upload bar that was almost done…

Eureka! It was done. I watched all of my work files become unuseable, or disappear completely, the virus was working.

Something in the lower right hand corner of the screen caught my attention; the network icon had a little 'x' over it…shit. I snarled and punched a hole through my computer monitor, they'd shut down the network; the virus hadn't made it to its ultimate destination.

I growled and stood up; walking past Sarah, but her hand grabbed my shoulder. "Who are you?" she whispered in my ear, dangerously. I turned around, looking at her face; her hazel eyes were burning with hatred, unbridled fury. She was not happy.

"My real name is irrelevant. The Shae Kartwall you think you know is dead; I killed him." I mumbled, my voice distant, "If you still want to come, you can. I genuinely like you, Sarah…" I sighed, "However, Arthas will be suspicious as to why you let me escape…so I'm sorry for this"

Before she could blink I was behind her, my hand whipped out and slammed into the back of her neck, knocking her out. I caught her before she hit the floor and laid her down gently.

I could hear people running up the stairs; they were on the floor below me. The helicopter was closer too, probably right above the building.

Walking to my office window, I grabbed my office chair and gave it a heave, flinging it out the window.

Stepping up to the now broken window, I poked my head out of it and looked up, checking for the helicopter.

The helicopter was less than 60 feet away from my window; the pilot rapidly talking with who I could only assume was Ms. Mitchell. The bitch sent the helicopter after me?

I snarled as the door to the helicopter opened, and I locked eyes with my old acquaintance, Drake Hanscom; his son sitting nearby. He reared his arm back, the dark energy from before crackling excitedly around his hand; I could feel my throat tighten at the memory. He hurled his arm forward, the stream of dark energy flying towards me at amazing speeds. I sighed and jumped out the window, letting gravity do its job. I smiled as I quickly gained distance between myself and the helicopter, the beam of energy unable to keep up with my rapidly increasing speed.

My smile quickly disappeared as I saw Drake practically throw his son out of the helicopter; the prick couldn't come after me himself?

Ben had a look in his eye that hadn't been there when I first met him. It was cold, calculating; it lacked the carefree disposition that he had possessed when he attempted to murder me the first time.

I sighed and began the change, my bones quickly becoming hollow, and feathers sprouting from my body. I angled my body correctly and snapped my wings open, catching the updraft from the nearby fast food restaurant's ventilation system and leveled myself out.

I glanced back, watching in horror as Ben stuck his hand out, his fingers digging brutally into the concrete of the corporate building. I was amazed as he didn't even flinch while his fingers gouged five long trenches in the rock, quickly slowing his descent. As soon as he was level with me he kicked off the building, flying at me at speeds that I was utterly unprepared for.

He tackled me with amazing precision, angling our bodies so that I would hit the ground under him. I attempted to claw at him with my talons, gouge out a body part, but he was surprisingly quick, avoiding my attack and only holding on tighter. I growled and began the change back to my human form, my bones hardening and my muscles bulging. His eyes widened as the change finished; I grinned and cocked my head back, slamming it into his with as much force as my neck muscles could muster.

Now, I'd been told that head-butts were never fun for either party, but this was just horrifying. My head spun, my eyes blurring in and out of focus as a screaming pain tore through my skull. Ben seemed to be going through similar repercussions as his grip relaxed, his hands flying up to his forehead. We drifted apart, gravity pulling me closer to the incoming ground; this was going to fucking hurt.

Out of the corner of my eye I managed to see Ben slam into a billboard, while I passed smoothly under it; had I been less out of it, I might have snickered as his upper body humorously hung out the other side of the billboard. However, I wasn't even able to comprehend the fact that I was about to slam into the brick wall of the diner that the billboard was advertising. If was I able to comprehend that, I may have thought something similar to, 'So this is how I die, huh?'.

A gentle 'pop' echoed through my ears, before I slammed into something warm and soft…something that definitely wasn't a brick wall. To add onto that, I was not abruptly stopped; I was still moving, but my movement was slowing very gradually. I could hear the sound of rubber skidding against concrete, and the audible sound of someone grunting.

I finally slowed to a halt, and someone breathed a sigh of relief. "Jesus Christ dude, how much do you fucking weigh, anyways?" came the voice of Brandy DuPont.

She unceremoniously dumped me on the ground, which I determined to be the roof of the diner that I had almost crashed into. "None o' yer fuckin' business" I managed to grumble out, shakily trying to stand up. She scoffed, "It just so happens to BE my business when I have to teleport your ass away from a brick wall. Mind you, I've had an easier time slowing down a small god damn car."

I coughed and rubbed my head, shakily managing to maintain my balance; I blinked and looked over at Brandy, who had a small smirk on her face. "Just in the nick of time, eh?" I sputtered out, to which she scoffed again. "Nah, I've been sitting here for about an hour, waiting to pick you up and escort you back to the apartment. I figured something might be up when I saw the chair go flying out the window."

She grinned and looked up at the billboard, which Ben was just beginning to pull himself out of, "Nice head-butt by the way; very unexpected."

I followed her eyes up and locked eyes with Ben, "We have some time to spare, if you wanna go knock heads with him again" Brandy said; I could sense her grin without even looking at her. I held out my arm, beckoning her to get us out of here, "No, let's just leave. Not entirely sure that I could beat him now, anyways."

She gasped unexpectedly and grabbed my arm, teleporting us to the top of the Pacific Telecommunications building, just in time to avoid the beam of dark energy that slammed into the rooftop we had just been resting on, causing the roof to cave in. I sighed as Ben leapt over the top of the roof, followed shortly afterwards by his father.

Drake shot me an intense glare, "Well, if it isn't the Druid with a nasty tendency to weasel his way away from death. Too bad you won't have that chance here…and neither will your little friend." He said, smirking at Brandy. My blood boiled as I looked at his ice blue eyes, their piercing gaze fixated right back at mine; "So, you managed to take out the manager of the Seattle outpost, and then was able to infiltrate our LA facility using his credentials. Not a bad plan, too bad it didn't work." He sneered.

He glanced at Ben and jerked his head in my direction. Ben's only noticeable response was a small grunt before he sprinted towards me, kicking up dust and gravel as he went. He threw a punch at me, slowly enough for me to grab his wrist and twist, using his elbow as further leverage. He groaned and did a complete spin through the air before I forcefully slammed him back into the roof.

He twitched and yanked his arm out of my grasp, kicking off from the roof and backing away, looking at his father. I scoffed, "You know, his increase in speed certainly surprised me, but he's not all that much stronger than before. Is this the extent of the scourge?" I mocked.

Ben snarled and charged, rocketing forward once more, this time jumping into a roundhouse kick. I let my overconfidence get the better of me as I lazily raised one arm to block the attack. His leg slammed into my arm with a strength I hadn't anticipated, cracking the bones in my forearm and sending me sprawling into the side of a ventilation shaft.

I coughed and quickly rolled out of the way out of instinct as his axe kick came down, splintering the vent.

I jumped backwards, cradling my arm and doing my best to heal it. A rumble shook the building and the force of Ben's axe kick rattle through the building, undoubtedly alerting every scourge in the area of our location. I heard a crackle and I bent backwards reflexively, barely avoiding the limb of dark energy that passed over my head.

Ben was back on the offensive again as he rolled forward and sprang at me, going for a tackle; I quickly rolled onto my back and caught him in the chest with my heel, using his inertia to roll off my shoulders and spring him off of me, towards the edge of the rooftop.

A great blast of heat washed over me as I watched Ben fly. I snapped my neck over to Brandy to see her trading blows with Drake, her hands ablaze with fire, and her eyes deadly. Her strikes were quick and accurate, burn marks scorching Drake's skin as he struggled to stay out of reach. Staying away seemed to be a problem as well; as soon as he got out of arm's reach, Brandy would begin hurling fireballs from her hands, grinning all the while; crazy pyromaniac.

Drake snarled and reached out, managing to grab onto Brandy's ankle with a beam of dark energy, quickly yanking her towards him. He cocked back his arm to nail her in the face while I could only watch.

A shadow passed over him, and he looked up, only to be slammed through the concrete roof as Trixey's oversized hammer came crashing down on top of him. Drake literally disappeared under the hammer, being sent through the roof, and from what I could hear, through at least several stories of the building we were standing on.

Trixey stood up and smirked at us, clearly thinking that her surprise entrance from fucking nowhere was clever and well-timed.

I didn't get much of a chance to laugh as I sensed Ben behind me, charging again. I sighed and dodged the punch to my head, grabbing his wrist as it passed by my ear and rolling forward, slamming him onto his back in front of me. Before he could even think about counter-attacking, I jumped up and swung my leg down, my heel crushing his head against the concrete. His eyes rolled back into his head as his skull impacted the concrete, not killing him, but knocking him unconscious.

I sighed and looked down at him; he may not have been much faster than before, but he was certainly a lot stronger. Thankfully the little shit hadn't had a chance to go all blue-eyed on me.

A startlingly strong blast of heat washed over me again, and the rooftop was illuminated as I looked over at the young mage. She had an absolutely massive fireball in her hands, one that she seemed to be having trouble maintaining.

"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled at her, worrying for the safety of the young intern I'd knocked out inside.

Brandy smirked at me and then scowled, focusing on something. The fireball was becoming noticeably smaller…but not any less hot; it was as if she was compacting it…

Soon the fireball was a white hot sphere, about the size of a small beach ball. Brandy grunted and held it away from her face, its heat too much for even her. I held her hand in front of my eyes as I began to sweat from the absolutely massive amount of heat being produced by that little ball.

Trixey landed next to me, causing me to jump, "This is just insurance. We have to destroy this facility, and this happens to be the easiest way to do it."

I gaped as she approached the ventilation shaft that led to the rest of the building. I shook myself out of it as soon as she dropped the little white ball.

I took off past Trixey faster than I'd ever moved before, running towards the roof entrance to the building and kicking the door down, dashing down the dark staircase.

I could hear Trixey's gasp and her screams as I dashed into the building, but I didn't really care; I was not going to live with this on my conscience for the rest of my life. I kicked open another door, which led to the interior of the building. I noticed several people charging at me, trying to make their way up to the roof. The first reached me, and I punched him in the face, rocketing him down the hallway and causing him to jumble into a heap with two others. The second came from the other end of the hall, his eyes already blue with scourge energy. I caught his fist and twisted his arm around his back, noting how easy it was. I wasted no time and grabbed the hair on the back of his head and pushed forward, slamming his face into the floor and knocking him out.

The temperature sky rocketed abruptly as the superheated ball of flame fell straight through the ventilation, melting the metal it passed through. I screamed in frustration and bolted towards the nearest window.

I covered my head and busted through the window, beginning the change into my bird form as soon as I hit the air; I angled down wards and folded my wings in, plummeting like a rock.

Seeing the broken window that I'd fallen out of before, I quickly began the change back, slamming through the window at painful speeds, crushing the tiles in the office. I winced in pain as my legs fractured, but did my best to block out the pain as I tried to patch them up.

Seeing Sarah's body right where I left it, I dashed towards her and scooped her up, and did a one-eighty, heading back towards the window. I sighed in exhaustion and walked towards the window, the temperature rapidly rising. Heaving Sarah onto my shoulders, I jumped out the window, hoping to god that this didn't kill me.

I groaned as a realization hit me, there would be no way that my bird form could carry another human. Sarah would die if I tried that.

Biting my lip, I positioned Sarah on my shoulders, bracing her as best as I could for the impending crash.

I slammed into the ground with a painful crunch, a scream tearing through my lips as every bone below my waist shattered or cracked in some way. I used my powers to cut the pain, causing all feeling below my waist to instantaneously cease. I fell to one side in a heap, making sure that Sarah was set gently on the ground, her back propped against a small post. I stifled a moan and began trying to repair the damage to my legs, using my powers to seal off the internal bleeding where bone fragments had sliced open arteries. A small 'pop' was audible behind me as Trix and Brandy appeared, both of them quickly kneeling beside me to assess the damage.

A roar occurred above us as the ball of fire rapidly expanded, consuming the building in flames, and shattering every window. Trixey looked over at Sarah and then back at Brandy, who just gave a curt nod in response.

"Alright, I'll get the girl somewhere safe. Brandy, take Mac back to the apartment and help him patch himself up; I'll be there in about 15 minutes to take over." Trixey said, sending me an annoyed glare.

I wanted to say something akin to an apology, but I was too late; Brandy's hand was already around mine. A small 'pop' was all I heard before we were enveloped by darkness, flying at the speed of light towards our destination.

* * *

**Author's Notes: Hey guys, sorry for the delay…just could not find the motivation to push out this chapter for a little while. I know my ending for that whole arc is a little crappy, but I had a few loose ends to tie up that were rather annoying to tie up. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it. Read and review.**

**Also, it's likely that my internet will be going out again soon, so I wanted to get this out to you guys before then.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

Ben's eyes snapped open, the force of the explosion shocking him into consciousness. He gasped and clutched his forehead, pain shooting throughout his head. Coughing and sputtering, Ben propped himself on one elbow, surveying his surroundings.

A rattle shook through the roof he was laying on, and he gasped as the memories from the last hour came pounding through his mind. He ground his teeth and looked around, frantic to find the Druid punk.

His eyes widened as one particular memory came back to him, "Father!" he managed to gasp out, struggling to get to his feet. He shakily got to his feet, managing to stumble over to the hole in the roof; the hole that his father had been slammed through. A large boom shook the building, causing him to stumble and almost fall into the hole, which was now billowing smoke.

Ben's eyes narrowed and he gulped in a large breath of air and jumped into the hole. The smoke stung his eyes as he fell, but he forced them open. He searched for handholds on his way down, grabbing onto the bottom of each floor as he fell, to slow himself down. The temperature increased, growing hotter and hotter as he fell; just how far had the bitch put his father down?

He gasped as suddenly the hole widened, opening up to an enormous sphere that had been taken out of the interior of the building. He coughed, choking on the smoke that he had inhaled while his speed rapidly increased, causing him to plummet faster and faster. Fire surrounded him, lighting up the sphere he was falling through and illuminating the damage that had been done to the building; the facility was totally demolished.

A ledge appeared from the plumes of smoke and his hand snapped out on instinct, painfully stopping his descent. He groaned and let himself drop again, keeping an eye out for similar ledges.

The smoke suddenly cleared as he fell, revealing the lower floors of the building, and the center point of whatever explosion had taken place. He braced himself as the bottom floor approached him rapidly. He ripped open the reservoir of power within him, his eyes turning the trademark blue as he crashed into the ground.

He groaned and grunted, his scourge energy mitigating most of the damage from the fall. He looked around in annoyance, wondering in hindsight if it was even worth finding his father; the man had been a dick to him his entire life. He walked around, doing a quick search through the burning rubble, absentmindedly wondering how this building was even standing still.

Ben coughed, noticing that the air was getting thicker and thicker with smoke. He had to leave; if his father wasn't out by now, he was dead anyways. He sprinted towards the doors and gave them a swift kick, shattering the partially melted glass, and washing him over with a fresh breeze of oxygen.

The boy cursed and flew forward as the oxygen further ignited the fire behind him, causing a rapid increase in pressure. The mini-explosion rocked the building and sent him sprawling forward.

A low groaning and cracking made Ben whip his head around, his eyes widening as spiderweb-like marks made their way up the support beams of the building, threatening to break at any moment. He dashed away as fast as he could, making a bee-line away from the unstable building.

Ben sprinted forward as fast as he was capable, dead set on finding the nearest protective object that he could.

He grunted and ducked into an alley as he heard the building collapse, curling into a ball with his back against a dumpster.

The rumbling continued for a good 15 seconds before dying down, bits of rubble flying over the alley he was hiding in. Ben sighed as the noised finally stopped, prompting him to climb out of his alley, scaling the building to survey the damage. He sighed and rubbed the back of his head; thankfully, due to the spherical nature of the explosion, the building had collapsed in on itself, causing the least amount of collateral damage.

A flicker of movement to the left caught Ben's attention. Someone was standing on a roof a few buildings down from him. Someone with an enormous hammer strapped to their back, who was holding a person in their arms. Ben forced himself to duck out of sight, resisting the urge to maim the bitch who had potentially killed his father.

Sirens blared in the distance, startling the girl. She did a quick one-eighty and bolted across the rooftops. Ben wasted no time and silently followed her, ducking behind ventilation shafts and service entrances. He didn't have to follow her far; she stopped about a block away, dropping into a small alley.

He quietly skulked over to the edge of the alley, peeking his head over the rooftop. The girl with the hammer lowered her burden to the ground, propping the girl she was carrying against the wall of the alley.

The red headed girl quickly turned on her heel and shot out of the alley, bolting into the street. Ben narrowed his eyes, contemplating following her, but abandoned that notion; a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush.

He dropped into the alley, analyzing the girl that was sleeping soundly. His eyes narrowed, glancing over her brunette hair, and rather delicate features. What connection did this girl have to the hammer bitch?

The shadows slight ripple was the only warning he got as a hand shot from the girl's shadow; grasped in that hand was a rather wicked looking knife. Ben leaned backwards, but wasn't quite fast enough; the tip of the knife grazing his chin, drawing blood.

Ben stumbled backwards, one hand flying up to his chin as a burning pain began emanating from the small nick he had received.

His eyes widened as a head and shoulders began emerging from the shadow of the unconscious girl. A boy, probably about his age, stepped from the shadows. Hair black as night hung from his head, slightly masking his equally dark onyx eyes.

"Do not…ever come near her…again" he said, his voice dangerously low. Ben's vision blurred, and his head spun, the burning on his chin only intensifying. He stumbled and lost his balance as a screeching pain tore through his head.

The black haired kid only smirked, "Ah yes…that would be the poison acting up. It won't kill you, but it's a fast-acting neurotoxin. It's going to hurt a lot for a little while, and then you'll be paralyzed."

He twirled his knife in his hands, catching it with the blade down, ready to stab. He walked over to Ben and crouched, positioning the wicked edge just above Ben's heart, "Good bye, you filthy scourge."

Ben closed his eyes and cursed mentally, awaiting his death. A crackling noise and a muffled thud were all he heard.

He cracked open one eye, trying to block out the pain. His eyes widened as he saw the black haired boy in a crouching position above the brunette girl, his dagger clashing with a beam of dark energy.

The onyx-eyed youth wasted no time, grabbing the body of the young girl and backing off; he was not going to win this fight. Ben's last image before he passed out was that of the young rogue sinking into the shadows, the young girl held protectively in his grasp.

* * *

I screamed as soon as we appeared in the small apartment, a pain like no other ripping through my lower body. Brandy was spewing apologies at me as she hurried me over to the small couch, "GOD DAMNIT! KNOCK ME OUT BRANDY!" I yelled at her, my power working over my legs as fast as I could, trying to numb the pain.

"Mac, Mac please…You know I can't…you have to patch yourself up until Trixey gets back…" she pleaded at me, trying to get me to understand. I understood her perfectly, but that didn't make the pain any less intense. I screamed, my eyes brimming with tears as my power worked slowly, repairing slashed arteries, and very painfully molding my bones back together. I could feel the blood leaking endlessly over the couch.

"FUUUUUUCK!" I screeched, my power washing over my pelvis and hips, molding up the fractured bones. Brandy winced and took my hand in hers, squeezing it slightly and brushing my hair out of my eyes. She rested her hand against my forehead, lightly rubbing.

The pain wouldn't end. No matter how many cuts I repaired, no matter how many bone fragments I removed…it just would never end. The process continued for an eternity, my screams eventually dying down, my voice finally giving out. Tears streamed down my face as I attempted to block out the pain, but had to devote the majority of my power to repairing the damage.

The sound of the apartment door opening was the single most amazing sound I had ever heard; however I was unable to fully experience it, due to Brandy's finger brushing my temple, and ending my torment with a quick flick into unconsciousness.

* * *

**(Sarah's POV – First Person)**

"_I'm leaving…I won't be coming back" Shae said, his voice slow and deliberate. No…not Shae…Shae was dead. Whoever he was…He killed the real Shae Kartwall…All a ploy…all a trick._

"_I'm sorry for this…"_

A shudder ran through my body as I bolted upright. "SHAE!" I screamed to nobody in particular as I frantically looked around. I was in my apartment; my bed, to be specific.

The door burst open and the tiniest of hopes fluttered in my stomach, right before sinking again as Mac's head popped around the door. "Sarah?" he asked, timidly.

"S-Sarah, it's okay…You're in your apartment…you're safe…" He muttered, hurrying to the side of the bed.

"Where is he?" the words sounded dead coming out of my mouth.

His eyes narrowed, "He's gone. He got into a fight with some _scourge,_" he said the word with as much contempt as I would expect, "And then he ran off. Well, right after destroying the facility, of course."

I bit my lip, trying to process the information and keep a cool head; "What time is it?" I warily asked. He glanced at his watch, "Just after 3 in the afternoon. You've been out awhile"

Six o'clock. Six o'clock p.m. was when he said he was leaving. I…I could still catch him….

Mac seemed to know what I was thinking, "You still want to go after him." He said; it was not a question.

My silence only confirmed the answer.

"Why?" he moaned, grabbing my hand. I didn't pull my hand away, "I-I don't know, Mac. I just do not know." I locked eyes with him, and immediately regretted it; he looked absolutely pitiful. "Sarah…don't go chasing after him…that isn't healthy!" he pleaded, squeezing my hand lightly.

I sighed and squeezed his hand back, bringing it up and my lips and kissing it in an effort to calm him down. It worked, he instantly calmed down, his aura becoming serene; Mac always had a problem with letting his emotions get the better of him. "I'll think about it." I said; he'd have to live with that answer for now.

I laid back down, wearily listening to the second hand tick by…

* * *

**(Mac's POV – First person)**

Delightful warmth filled my body as my eyes fluttered open; the first thing I noticed was the distinct lack of pain. Glancing down, I noticed Trixey kneeling by my ankles, her hands hovering between my shins and ankles, spreading warmth through my legs as she healed.

She looked god awful; deep bags hung under her eyes, and her hair was disheveled. It looked like she may have been crying, as well.

I bit my lip and sat up, startling her and grabbing her hands. "M-Mac! I didn't notice you wake up!" she said, her voice almost cracking. I nodded wearily, "Yeah, I'm up. You look awful. Go get some sleep; I'll finish up."

She sniffled and nodded, walking to the head of the bed to envelop me in a hug, "I'm getting really tired of you needlessly endangering yourself, Mac. Please…please try and respect my sanity" she said, giggling a bit at the end. I smiled and hugged back, rubbing her shoulder lightly, "I'm sorry Trix; didn't think it would be quite this severe."

A hand ruffled my hair lightly as Brandy walked by, helping Trixey to stand up. She glanced at me and gave me a semi-disapproving look, "That goes for me too, kid."

With that, she balanced Trixey on her shoulder and helped her walk away, probably to the bedroom. I grunted and flexed my legs, noting that they were still very sore, but it appeared that Trixey has patched up most of the damage. I sent some power to my legs, relieving the soreness.

Groaning, I sat upright, experimentally putting pressure on my legs. I winced slightly, but decided that I could walk around. Lurching off the couch, I looked around; the girls had set up in a decent apartment. I stumbled into the kitchen, my hands rubbing idly on my thighs as I worked my power through, easing the pain. Seeing the coffee pot, I quickly went to work on brewing a pot.

"You shouldn't be walking around, dork" came Brandy's voice from behind me. I mostly ignored her, "How's Trixey?" I asked, evading her statement. "Suffering a mild case of depression. She's never healed that much for that long. She was just pushed too hard." Brandy replied.

I sighed and pinched my temples, "Will this be a permanent condition?" I asked, almost afraid of the answer. Brandy sighed, "Thankfully no. It'll pass just like any other case of depression."

I watched the coffee silently brew, drop after drop landing in the pot, "When can we leave?" I muttered.

"Well, due to the fact that an entire building collapsed, the airport is locked down tighter than Fort Knox right now. We'll head there around six and wait for them to start re-scheduling flights. It shouldn't take long for Arthas to cover this all up." She said, sighing. The name made my blood boil. Arthas…

My mind flickered through the day's events, "What about Sarah?" the words came tumbling out before I could stop them.

Brandy put a hand on my shoulder, squeezing lightly, "She's fine. Trixey got her away from the building before it collapsed and set her down in an alleyway not far away. She didn't have a scratch on her."

The sigh of relief was the only outward indication of the enormous burden being lifted off my shoulders; Sarah was safe. I glanced at the clock on the wall; it was currently 4:30. Trixey only had an hour and a half to recover before we had to leave. I turned around and walked towards Trixey's room, noting with relief that the pain had completely disappeared from my legs. Brandy made no move to stop me and only patted my lightly on the back as I walked by.

I cracked open the door to the room, immediately noticing the large bed that Trixey was currently sleeping on. The bags under her eyes had become less noticeable, but she still looked exhausted.

Her breathing was deep and even as I walked up to the bed. I smiled and felt her forehead, feeling relieved that I didn't feel a fever.

Figuring that I had nothing to lose from this, I began channeling power down my arm and over her head; the soothing aura washing over her body. The effects were fairly immediate; the color started returning to her face, the bags under her eyes becoming much less pronounced. I cut off the flow of power, preparing to leave, when I felt a light pressure on my wrist. Looking back, I saw Trixey's hand around my wrist, a smile tugging at her lips, "I really hope that my forehead was the only thing that you touched, you little turd." came from her lips, her eyes still closed.

I smiled and gently tapped her forehead with my index finger, "Even if I didn't have a moderately solid moral compass, I wouldn't try that with you. I happen to like having my hands attached to my wrists."

She grinned and her eyes fluttered open, locking with mine, "A wise choice indeed, padawan."

"Are you feeling alright, Trixey?" I asked. She nodded curtly, "Better than before; I think I'm gonna get some more sleep, though. I'm still feeling a little crappy."

She let go of my wrist and slid her arms under the blanket, pulling it up to her chin, closing her eyes again. Not willing to push my luck, I headed back out into the living room; I had a good hour and a half of nothing to do.

* * *

The time passed surprisingly quickly. The apartment had cable, so I spent the remaining time staring blankly at the Science Channel while I spread my power across my legs, double checking for any injuries that may have been overlooked.

We didn't even bother driving. To save time, Brandy just grabbed our arms and quickly teleported us to the Airport; we popped into existence in front of the doors.

The first noticeable thing was the distinct lack of noise; all of the planes were docked still. As we walked up the stairs, the sound of a helicopter made itself apparent over the chatter of airport. Brandy's head snapped around, scanning the sky for the vehicle in question; very few things should have clearance to fly right now. I followed her eyes, my stomach sinking in a horrible realization. "You don't think…" I muttered to Brandy. Her eyes narrowed further, "It's certainly possible…but I hope for the sake of our lives that it isn't the case…"

The sound of the helicopter gradually increased, before the aircraft finally appeared over the top of a nearby building. My hopes sank like a rock as I saw the words BLIZZARD CORPORATION printed on the side of the chopper. He had come to see the damage done; Arthas had arrived.

I gulped and walked inside the building, Brandy and Trixey right behind me; no matter how much we wanted to run, Arthas didn't know who we were. We were safe for now.

A small crowd had gathered around one of the terminal entrances, I assumed it was the one Arthas had landed at. Brandy and Trixey angled away from the entrance, and I did the same, taking a seat at the opposite side of the airport lobby.

Over the course of five minutes or so the crowd grew and grew, people flocking to see one of the richest men in the United States in person. A murmur began to stir up in the crowd, and I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck as a small party of individuals came walking down the terminal hall.

Despite being the most powerful being in existence, Arthas kept a healthy amount of security around him. He was surrounded by 5 individuals, each dressed in a plain grey suit, a typical mic-cord running from the depths of their suits up to their ears.

Even though they had similar suits, the security couldn't be any more different in size and stature. The one in front of the group was an enormous bald man; standing easily at a whopping 6 foot 8, he was nearly as wide as he was tall, his large form carving a path through the forming crowd. On either side of the man they were guarding stood two women who looked exactly alike. They both were of average height and build, probably standing at 5 feet, 6 inches tall; they each also possessed a pair of coal black eyes. The only observable difference between the two was their hair. Their hairstyle was exactly the same, coming down to just past their shoulders, the difference was the color; the girl on the left had dark green hair, while the one on the right had pretty typical brown hair.

Trailing the group was another two guards, although these two were practically polar opposites. The one on the left was a very short, middle-aged man, no more than 5 feet tall, and sporting a very thick mustache which highly contrasted his receding hairline. The other was a very lanky man of average height, who carried himself with a strange amount of grace.

Finally, in the center of this group was easily the most imposing figure I had ever seen. He stood at a notable 6 feet 3 inches with a head of dark grey hair that was slicked back with expensive gels. Eyes of silver gleamed in the light as they darted back and forth, taking in the information around them. He was dressed in a classy black suit, with matching shoes; Arthas Menithil lived up to every expectation that the media had set for him.

Every nightmare, every fear, every bad experience in my life could have manifested themselves in front of me, and it still would have been nothing compared to the level of horror that shot through my body as Arthas' eyes locked with mine. I couldn't move, I couldn't blink, I couldn't even breathe as our gazes connected, and in that infinitely small passage of time, I _knew_ that he had discovered us. He knew what we were, and he knew what we'd done; as if he plucked the very thought from my head, his lips tugged up in a smile.

It happened fast; almost faster than I could register. One second Arthas was in the middle of his escort, heading towards the door, and the next instant he was gone.

I knew he was behind us immediately. I couldn't even bring myself to turn around as he leaned forward, placing one hand on Brandy's left shoulder, and his other hand on Trixey's right shoulder; his head hovering dangerously close to my ear.

"I don't like rodents scurrying around in my kitchen. The rodents would do well to scamper back into their hidey-holes. I don't give second warnings."

He was gone before any of us could react, back in his place among his escort, his back to us as they walked out of the airport.

Shakily looking over at Brandy, I noticed tears running down her face, her face frozen in a mask of terror. A similar sight awaited me as I glanced at Trixey, and I couldn't really blame the two.

I wasn't all that far from tears, myself.

* * *

**Author's notes: Dear god. This is undoubtedly my most well-written chapter, despite it being so short. I'm sorry that the description of his security is so…cliché, I just couldn't think of any better descriptions. Anyways, hope you enjoyed, this was a bit of a pain in the ass to write.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Blood Lust**

The fresh air felt amazing as I raced through the alleyways of Seattle. After getting off the plane I had informed Trixey and Brandy that I would be traveling home alone; I needed time to think.

I began the change as I reached the end of the alleyway, my wings carrying me over the busy streets of Seattle. My mind had been very busy over the last few hours, and I had reached the ultimate conclusion that I could no longer keep up this hectic lifestyle. I just wanted to go home and live normally again, rather than all this fighting.

I sighed and pushed my wings harder, soaring over the streets. I would see if I could negotiate this with Stitches when I got back.

* * *

It was well after dark by the time I reached Concrete. The city was absolutely tiny from my aerial view. I angled my wings down, lowering my altitude; out of the corner of my eye I saw Brandy's home. The lights were on; she'd made it home safely.

I swung in for a dive, zooming towards the ground as I saw my house. The lights were also on here, and I could see the TV flashing through the living room window. I opened my wings and slowed my descent, landing gently and silently on the roof of the house across the street from us. I quickly changed back to human form and leapt off the roof. I landed with a muted 'thud' and crept across the street to my front porch.

I sighed and punched in the code for our electronic door lock, and was rewarded with the sound of the deadbolt retracting. Opening the door, I was greeted with the sight of my mother sitting in the armchair watching TV, and my sister in the doorway to the kitchen. "I'm back", I stated, yanking off my hoodie and throwing it on the clothes rack.

"Welcome back. How was the university?" came my mother's reply. I blinked, "Uni-…Oh! Oh, uh yeah…it was a little pricey. Gonna stick to local schools." I said, almost stumbling over the lie.

"Aaah. Well, there are other fish in the sea, I guess. We have company, by the way." My mom said, gesturing towards the couch. My eyes darted towards the couch, and widened. Sitting on the couch, completely covered in shadow, was Shelby. Motherfucker.

"Hi Mac." She said, her eyes piercing me. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" I said, trying to keep the sarcasm from leaking out.

"Oh, nothing much really. I just haven't seen you since school ended…and I thought that we could…_catch up"_ her voice was sickeningly sweet, but her eyes held none of that sweetness. I didn't like where this was headed. It would appear that distance didn't seem to be a factor in whatever connection we held. A swift nod from Shelby further confirmed that theory. I gestured towards the door, and she hopped up and muttered a quick good-bye to my mother before skipping past me and out the door. "I'll be back in a bit, Mom." I said before turning around and following her.

She was waiting for me on the porch, "What the fuck, Mac!" she said immediately, trying to keep her voice down. "The last two weeks have been the most insane of my god damn life! What the fuck happened to you!"

I sighed and leaned on the railing, resting my hand on my face in exasperation. "If it's becoming such a big problem, then try and find a way to block it." I said, neatly evading her question.

"You think I haven't tried that!" She said, glaring at me. "I've been trying almost non-stop since I first got a peak of you and that girl in California! Don't you have any decency at all, you son of a bitch?"

I flinched, taken aback. "W-well what do you expect me to do about it?" I asked wearily, "Would you prefer that I stopped thinking? Maybe I could slip into a coma for your convenience."

She ground her teeth together and poked me in the chest, "No…I just expect you to try and develop the control over your hormones that is to be expected of an eighteen year old."

I snarled and resisted shouting; that was crossing the line. "Oh? And who was it that started bragging about having sex for the first time a _week_ after we broke up? Hmm?" I hissed back, the anger and contempt of all those years ago boiling back to the surface. To emphasize my point, I brushed over the memory.

Shelby's eyes widened, "I…well…" she stammered. I stopped her, holding my hand up. "Whatever. Just find a way to block it. Do you have a way to get home?" I inquired.

She shook her head. Ugh.

I sighed, "Alright, I'll walk ya home. You're not riding me again. That was fucking degrading."

She nodded in compliance. I rubbed the back of my head and walked back into the house, announcing my departure to my mother. Turning back to Shelby, I walked past her, starting a brisk pace to the backyard, where we could take the same path as before.

We walked down to the river and I quickly leapt across, quickly coming to the realization that Shelby wouldn't be able to jump as far.

She walked to the edge and looked across, squinting. I just grinned and leaned against a tree, deciding to see what she'd do.

"Don't be a dick. Help me over!" she grumbled, folding her arms across her chest. I just arched an eyebrow, "Come on. Show me that amazing physical prowess you always used to brag to me about. You remember." I said, grinning to myself.

She narrowed her eyes, surely promising pain. "If you don't help me across, I'm going to march back to your house and tell your mom that you were fondling a girl in California!"

I narrowed my eyes right back at her, "Alright, a few things; A: I never 'fondled' anyone, and B: she cannot know that I was in California." I said with conviction, shooting a glare at her. She just smirked and turned around, beginning to walk back to my house. I didn't let her get that far.

Before she could blink I had vines wrapped around her, holding her in place. She struggled briefly before taking in a large breath, preparing to scream. With a flick of my wrists the vines curled around her more, lifting her into the air, silencing her. She looked at me, bewildered, seeing my thoughts, "Mac, I swear to God if you even think abo-" another flick of my wrist and the vines hurled Shelby towards me, catapulting her across the river; her sentence cut off by her shriek of surprise.

I caught her neatly, one arm underneath her knees and the other supporting her back. I looked down at her and smirked, expecting a glare; but instead saw a blush. I snorted and dropped her, causing her to land on her ass in the soft grass.

She grunted and stood up, not meeting my eyes as she muttered a very quiet, "Thank you". I just stared at her, she was acting very weird.

Had I been less perceptive, I wouldn't have been able to sense the malignant force behind me. Acting on instinct, I scooped Shelby up bridal style and leaped away as far as I could to the right. Turns out my instincts were rather good; mere seconds after my departure, the ground was torn apart by a stream of dark energy. Son of a bitch.

I flipped and landed in a crouch, setting Shelby down and turning around quickly to catch the fist of Ben Hanscom as it descended down on me. My knee sank into the dirt and my arm groaned under the pressure of his punch. A quick snap of my wrist caused the boy to howl in pain, allowing me enough time to twist his elbow, dislocating his shoulder. I followed it up my grabbing the back of his head and slamming it into my knee, causing him to gasp and groan, falling backwards.

My senses tingled again, prompting me to grab Shelby and leap away, narrowly avoiding another blast of malignant energy.

Shelby was oddly quiet, but knew about these two from my memories. She gasped and clung to my shirt as I landed.

I set Shelby down and dashed past her, going on the offensive. Only one word was on my mind as I slammed my foot into Ben Hanscom's face. Run.

I pleaded with Shelby as best I could, mentally running the word 'Run' through my mind as fast as I could. Drake appeared in front of me, his face twisted in an ugly snarl. His knee slammed into my stomach, causing me to double over as his elbow crashed into my spine. I shot my arm out and propelled myself off to the side, avoiding Ben's axe kick.

'Run. Now. I won't win this.' I thought, as hard as I could. My eyes met hers, and I knew that she wasn't going to leave willingly.

I scowled and coughed, using the temporary reprieve to stand up and address my assailants. "So then, what do I owe the pleasure, Hanscoms?"

'Leave. Brandy DuPont. 7713 Gardner Avenue. If you want me to live, find her. Go.'

Drake sneered, looking at me with hate-filled eyes, "Well, I just couldn't let my favorite little Druid go after humiliating me in front of my employee's, could I? I assure you, Miranda Mitchell got a healthy laugh out of what you caused." My mind briefly flashed to the memory of the manager of the LA facility.

"Then I killed her for being incompetent." Drake finished, his lips curling up in a demented grin. My eyes narrowed, my stomach tightening in anger. I heard Shelby quietly scooting away behind me. She was almost into the nearby underbrush.

I caught Drake's gaze again and smirked, "Killing your own underlings, eh? I suppose that's reasonable, since you can't even kill us. Guess you have to take your rage out on something." I quietly used my vines to pull Shelby faster into the brush. She was now fully concealed and retreating. I breathed a mental sigh of relief.

"Oh, well I could have killed your little girlfriend several times over by now." My blood froze at his words.

Drake smirked at my expression, "You're just lucky that she's normal, or she'd be coming with us."

"Coming with us?" I asked, trying to sound confident, "Is Ben finally taking me out on a date, Drakey?"

Both Hanscoms just smirked and flexed their muscles, grunting. A huge wave of power washed over me as both of their eyes turned bright blue. Fuck.

Ben came rocketing at me first; I dodged to the side, barely. I shot my foot out, trying to kick him in the back of the head. A mind-rattling force nailed into my face, sending me flying away.

I couldn't even comprehend what had happened as I crashed into a tree, my back bending painfully around the trunk. I managed to roll out of the way as Ben's famous axe kick came down, splitting the tree down the middle. Drake followed up once more, kicking me in the stomach like a football, sending me sailing into the air.

As fast as I was flying, Drake's beam of energy was faster; wrapping around my midsection and yanking me back like a yo-yo.

My face met with his fist again as I got slammed into the ground, my jaw instantly shattering. A shadow passed over me, and I couldn't even move to avoid Ben's axe kick.

His kick slammed into me harder than a car, almost breaking my spine and knocking the air almost permanently out of my lungs. I sputtered and clutched my chest, my mind blacking out on me. The last thing I saw was Ben's hateful blue eyes as I drifted into unconsciousness.

'Keep…running…'

* * *

Two girls silently watched the unfolding events, one a brunette, and the other having green hair.

"You don't think they're going to kill him, do you Jade?" the brunette asked, almost impassively. Jade smirked, "Nah. This kid has seriously pissed them off. They won't settle for only killing him."

The brunette's eyes shifted towards the nearby woods, squinting at a human form stumbling around. "What about the girl? Should we kill her?"

Jade glanced at the girl stumbling through the forest, "Are you kiddin', Jamie? You know Arthas doesn't want us killing normies." Jamie shrugged and looked back at the two scourge beating the boy to a pulp, "I hope they leave him intact. He seems interesting."

Jade glanced at her twin, "Interesting, huh? Yeah, I suppose." She narrowed her eyes at Drake, "I've never seen anyone force Drake to go full-out before. That kid is in for a whole lot of shit."

Jamie looked on aloofly, "I've never seen Drake purposely go behind Arthas's back before. I find it unlikely that Arthas will care in the end, but Drake rarely seeks out personal vengeances." A tremor rocked the ground as Ben's axe kick slammed into Mac's stomach, crushing the boy into the ground.

"And that's a wrap" Jade said as she nimbly did a backflip off the tree branch, landing near a shiny convertible parked by the highway. "Come on, Jamie. We were only told to make sure that they didn't do anything stupid. I don't think they could possibly cause a ruckus on the trip home."

A large pulse of energy caused her to whip her head back towards the battlefield.

* * *

My mind teetered on the brink of unconsciousness, pulsating blossoms of pain radiating out from every perceivable fiber of my existence. I could barely make out the dim words of my captors as they hauled my barely-conscious body out of the crater I'd been molded into.

I heard Drake laugh; a wicked cackle escaping from his lips as he congratulated his son on a job well done.

Despite my best attempts, a small groan escaped my lips, inspired by them dropping me on the ground at their feet. "Oh?" I could practically hear the sneer of Drake's face; "It looks like he's still awake."

A rustling of clothes and a quiet laugh was audible to my left; I recognized it as Ben's voice. "Looks like you finally got what was coming to you." Ben's voice was condescending, taunting me. "And soon, all of your little friends are going to get what's coming to them as well…" my heartbeat quickened as I clenched my fists, a burning pain in my stomach becoming blatantly apparent.

"That girl with the hammer… she was a wild one. She'll be a LOT of fun…"

My teeth ground together, my lips turning upwards in a snarl.

"Or how about the hottie in California? The one that was so keen about playing with fire…"

The burning in my stomach was now a raging fire, threatening to engulf my entire being. My heart was pounding in my chest and I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my body.

"And what about that girl just now? The one that we let go? I bet we could pick her up real quick and have a real fun time…"

A deafening crack sounded through the air, resonating from my abdomen. My eyes snapped open and my mouth opened wide in a silent scream as a bone-rattling shudder ran through my entire being. A blue fire enveloped my body, spreading outwards as a wave of energy flooded through every cell in my system.

My arm snapped forward, rocketing my hand forward and latching it onto Ben's face. The boy didn't even have time to register what had happened before I'd leapt into a crouch and pushed his body backwards, slamming the back of his head forcefully into the dirt. One down.

The outburst of energy behind me alerted me to Drake releasing his powers once more. I turned around with ample time to catch his fist, noting his look of astonishment. This would be fun.

A cruel grin spread across my face; a thirst for blood overriding any pre-existing goals. My wrist snapped sharply to the left, rewarding me with the satisfying 'crack' of shattering bones. Drake's face contorted into a grimace of pain and hatred and he snapped his free hand at my face. I simply leaned my head forward, coolly avoiding his fist and slamming my own clenched fist into his stomach.

I felt it as his breath left him, and took a gratuitous amount of satisfaction out of grabbing the back of his head and repeatedly slamming my knee into his face, hearing a new, sickening crunch with every collision.

My thirst for blood wasn't quenched yet, though. I latched my hand onto his throat, my fingers compressing on his windpipe as I lifted Drake off of the ground. His mangled face twisted pitifully as he struggled to pull at my hands. I could feel his power leaving him.

I clenched my free hand and brought it swiftly into his gut, causing Drake to cough up blood. A few more successive punches to Drake's abdomen caused a trail of blood to splatter down the front of his clothing. The mauled scourge snarled and gasped, his eyes growing slightly dim from the continued severing of his air circulation.

The sick, twisted smile never left my face as I leaned in closer and whispered into his ear, "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?"

My fist around his throat closed, crushing his windpipe with a stomach-churning crunch. Drake gave a last, strangled gurgle before his body went limp, his eyes clouding over and rolling into the back of his head.

I sneered and tossed the body aside, watching as it landed with a crumpled heap on the ground. He did not move again.

I turned my eyes back to the remaining Hanscom. His eyes were closed, and a pool of blood had formed beneath his head, but he was most definitely still alive. His chest expanded and retracted rhythmically, and I could faintly hear his heartbeat in the silence. Slow, steady strides took me to his body. He would suffer the same fate as his father.

Lifting my foot up, I rested it on his windpipe, feeling the gentle inhaling and exhaling of air through his body.

A force slammed painfully into my face, sending me rocketing across the battlefield. I flipped in midair, landing in a crouch as I eyed my assailant. It was a girl with dark green hair; she was looking at me with an interested expression while rubbing her knuckles slightly. "You've got a thick skull, you know that?" she said to me, a smile tugging at her lips.

A second girl landed next to her, and a light clicked in my brain; I had seen these two before. These girls were a part of Arthas' private security.

Blinding pain radiated through my stomach and I sank to one knee, my hands clutched over my abdomen. I gave a defiant snarl towards the green-haired girl.

"Let's go, Jamie. From the look of things, he'll be a scourge within the hour." The first girl said, her eyes glancing at my stomach. I shakily rose back to my feet, a throbbing pain rocking through my skull and a fire burning in the very pit of my stomach.

Jamie glanced at me as well, but her eyes quickly flicked towards town, squinting. "Yes; leaving would be prudent. Reinforcements are inbound."

I charged at them, pushing all of my energy into blocking out the pain. The green haired girl's eyes flashed blue before she disappeared. A force comparable to a train wreck slammed into my stomach, causing me to double over painfully, nearly losing my lunch. "Don't follow us." She whispered, before roughly tossing my crumpled form to the side.

They were gone when I looked back up. The only evidence of the past events was the mutilated body of Drake Hanscom lying in a disorderly pile. I screamed as a new wave of energy swept through my body, wilting any plants that were near me.

I clawed at my stomach, trying to stop the horrendous pain; anything to stop the horrifyingly painful experience. It wasn't quite as bad as the bone breaking incident in California, but it was still a hell in itself.

So lost was I in my own torment that I hadn't noticed the small group of people land near me. A hand touched my shoulder, causing me to jump as I whipped my arm around at the person in question.

My eyes locked with the cool, understanding eyes of Stitches as he held my fist in his grasp, not flinching in the slightest. My head swam, the logical part of me wrestling feverishly with the bloodthirsty monster that wanted to cause more harm.

Another, smaller 'crack' sounded out from my abdomen, and a fresh wave of energy washed through my body, overloading every nerve I had. My scream of pain reverberated throughout the field as I tried once more to claw open my stomach. The last thing I felt was two, cool fingers being pressed to my forehead. Then all was dark.

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**(Author's note:) I am so, so sorry for the late, crappy update, guys. I'm still not entirely sure where I'm taking this story, so I'm trying to tie up a few loose ends before I actually progress through the plot. Or rather, the flimsy thing that I'm calling a plot. **

**Anyways, I did the one thing I've been dreading to do for quite some time; I've killed off Drake Hanscom. This has been something that I've considered doing for quite some time, and it had to be done. I've got too many characters running around this story as it is. Ben is still very much alive, and I have no plans to do anything really significant with him yet. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.**

**Read and review, please.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Rage**

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Beep… beep… beep…

The steady, rhythmic noise was synched up perfectly with my heartbeat. I groaned and opened my eyes, noting that I was inside Stitches' cabin. I was stuck full of tubes, a few of which were feeding something into my body. How did I get here?

My eyes snapped open, memories of the previous day flooding back into my conscious mind. Me being attacked… knocking Ben out… killing Drake. The thought of all the blood lingered in my mind, and finally the image of me crushing his throat flashed through my brain.

Leaning over the side of the bed, I emptied my stomach. I gagged and hurled, the disgusting mental image fixating itself at the front of my mind. What had I done? How could I have done that… and enjoy myself in the process? I continued leaning over the side of the bed, breathing steadily and keeping my eyes closed.

My hand traveled downwards, over my stomach. I send my power throughout my body, probing over the catalyst. It appeared to be intact.

There was a line running down the catalyst, almost like a canyon had opened up in it. The scar through the catalyst was sealed up at the bottom, as though it had been patched up. A chunk of my catalyst was just gone.

Groaning, I shakily hauled myself off of the bed and pulled out the IV's, quickly cleaning up my vomit off of the floor. I could hear voices coming from down the hall, though they were too low for me to identify. Step by step I walked down the hallway, feeling utterly exhausted. Using the wall as support, I slowly pushed myself down the hall, not trusting my voice at the moment.

I reached the room that the voices were resonating from. Peering in, I noticed a small gathering of people hovering around another bed. I stumbled rather noisily into the room, almost tripping, but managing to catch myself on the doorframe. I recognized the faces of Stitches, Brandy, Calypso, and Shiftie as they turned to look at me. Shiftie's face was downcast; his features curling into a scowl as his eyes landed on me.

Straightening up, I eyed him warily. I didn't recall doing anything particularly bad to him; why was he being so… hostile?

"Mac…" Brandy said, her voice low, "What are you doing out of be-" she didn't have time to finish her sentence, as Shiftie was already walking towards me, a dangerous air about him. I backed up instinctively, knowing that I couldn't fight him now. What was going on?

"Tell me, Mac" he began, his voice controlled, "How many times has Trixey told you to NOT be an idiot?"

I stammered, taken aback by his hostility, "W-what do you mean? What does Trixey have to do with anything? I just-"

"SHUT UP!" Shiftie roared, his features turning hostile, "Because of you, MY girlfriend almost died! She almost died saving your stupid ass, you son of a bitch!" He grabbed me roughly, forcing me to face the bed which I hadn't paid any attention to until now. My jaw slackened as I looked at the figure on the bed.

Trixey was an absolute mess. I could see lacerations running all the way up her arms, as well as severe burning that trailed all the way up to her elbows. It looked like they had been healed, but they still appeared gruesome. Her hair was slightly scorched, and her eyes had deep bags underneath them. Had I done this?

My voice caught in my throat. Shiftie snarled and shoved me roughly, causing me to slam painfully into the wall. Brandy shot him a glare and walked over to my side, gently pulling me back up to my feet. "Let's head back to your room. I'll fill you in on what happened." I could only nod dumbly as she pulled me along, Shiftie's glare following me out the door.

I sat down wearily on the bed, resting my head in my hands, "Did I really…?"

"Not on purpose." Brandy cut in, placing a hand on my shoulder. "When… when your Catalyst cracked again, you were on the edge of turning into one of them. Trixey kept you from turning." My eyes widened at her words.

"She… she stopped me from turning into one? How?" I said, disbelief apparent in my voice.

Brandy sighed and looked down the hallway, lost in thought; "She was the only one capable of getting close to you to repair your catalyst. Being a paladin, she's able to nullify malignant energy, which was pouring out of you by the bucketload." She paused, looking at her hand, "I could only stay close to you long enough to knock you out."

Looking at her hand, I noticed that her pointer and middle finger were red and irritated, as though they'd been submerged in hot water for too long. Reaching out, I hovered my hand over her fingers, pulling on my power to cover her hand. Brandy sighed in content and relaxed as my power dulled the pain, the color of her fingers rapidly turning back to normal.

Brandy flexed her fingers experimentally, "Unfortunately, she could only nullify so much of the energy. She got cut and burned from the bits of it that she couldn't negate. On top of that, she's suffering extreme mental exhaustion from all of the power she used to mend your catalyst."

Brandy glanced at me and sighed, "She saved you. Otherwise, you'd have been a scourge by now."

I lurched myself up, "I should go heal her."

Brandy put a hand on my shoulder, shaking her head, "It's not going to work. The wounds were created by your power; you can't heal this." I flinched, her words stinging unintentionally. "Besides," she continued, "Even if it hadn't been your power, it's best to let wounds like this heal naturally."

A cough from the doorway interrupted us. Looking up, I saw Stitches looking at me with an interested expression. "If you don't mind, Mac," he started, "I'd like to do a brief examination on you." He pulled up a clipboard and flipped a few pages up, glancing at something that was written on it, "If my suspicions are correct, then your little outburst caused you to forcefully absorb part of your catalyst."

My eyes widened slightly, "Absorbed it? So… I should be stronger now?"

Stitches nodded, "It was only a small portion of your catalyst that was absorbed, and it was absorbed unnaturally, so I don't know how much will have changed. I want to find out."

Calypso walked out from behind him, a slight smile upon her lips, "How about it, Mac? It's been awhile since we've had a spar."

"No." came Shiftie's voice from behind her. Calypso's eyes narrowed slightly as she stepped out of the way, allowing Shiftie to come in. "I want to test out his abilities. See if he was really worth the effort to save." None of the kindness that I remembered was apparent in Shiftie's voice. He was glaring at me with barely repressed disdain.

Stitches spoke up, "Shiftie, I don't think that's-"

"No, I'll do it." I spoke up, my eyes locked with Shiftie's. "If he wants to test my capabilities, then I'll gladly indulge him."

I heard Brandy open her mouth, but she decided not to say anything, letting her mouth close again. Shiftie pointed down the hall towards the door. Turning around, he casually strolled outside, and I was hit with a strong sense of déjà vu.

Flexing my muscles experimentally, I determined that I was mostly intact. I quietly followed Shiftie out the door, stopping momentarily as Stitches put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't overdo it. I need both of you alive, and in one piece."

I barked out a short, nervous laugh, "I'll try not to break him."

I was barely out the door before he leapt at me, a fire burning in his eyes. I held my hand up, catching his fist. I flinched as I was steadily pushed back, shoes digging deep into the soil; he was clearly stronger than me.

I suddenly released his hand, allowing him to fall forward. I dropped onto my back, propping my feet against his stomach and rolling backwards, pushing off of his stomach. He flew backwards, flipping in mid-air before sliding along the ground on all fours, his limbs tearing ravines in the dirt.

Shiftie snarled, his features turning wild as he raced towards me again. I grinned as a vine sprang from the earth, wrapping around Shiftie's midsection and flinging him into a tree.

The opposing druid latched onto the trunk of the tree, and I noticed that he was gradually changing. He dropped to the ground, hunched over slightly as a ripple went down the length of his spine. Hair began to sprout from his body; the hair was brown, short and rough. As he looked up, I noticed that his face had lengthened, huge jagged teeth poking out from beneath his lips. He stood up on his hind legs, his enormous claws digging into the soil as he let out an earth-rattling roar.

Shiftie had turned into a bear.

Though Shiftie was definitely slower than before, I didn't dare get hit by one of those paws as he swung at me. My suspicions were confirmed as his claws tore through the trunk of a tree, toppling the plant.

Vines wrapped around the bear, huge roots encircling his massive limbs. I took the moment of immobility to jump up and swing my leg at his face, my foot connecting with his jaw in a thundering collision. Shiftie just snorted and glared at me, before systematically freeing his limbs by pulling the vines and roots out of the ground. This wasn't going to work.

I jumped into a sprint, my body sinking lower to the ground as I started a transformation of my own. My eyes became slitted and yellow as hair sprouted across my body. My paws dug into the soil as I raced around the enormous bear. I leapt onto the roof of the cabin, dashing down the length of it before jumping towards a large branch on an adjacent tree. Pushing off of this branch, I launched myself at the bear, my claws aimed at his back.

I clung to his back, ignoring his roar of rage as I sank my fangs into the soft flesh of his shoulder. My claws gouged valleys in his back, causing a stream of blood to come forth. Shiftie whipped around rapidly, forcefully tossing me off of his back. It didn't matter though, the damage had been done.

Shiftie roared in rage and began reverting his transformation, his paws reaching up to the wounds on his neck and back, preparing to heal them. His change to human completed and his hands glowed green, his power sealing the wounds that I had made. He looked at me with hate as I changed back to normal as well, returning his glare.

"So, you want to play like that, do you?" he growled at me. The air became heavy as his eyes turned a dark green at the edges. "Well that's fine by me!" he yelled as a blast of energy surrounded him. I made a double-take, there's no way that Shiftie was a scourge!

My thoughts wandered back to something that Stitches had told me… Non-scourges have catalysts as well… so Shiftie must have tapped into his… somehow. I would have to inquire about this later.

Shiftie was on me faster than I could comprehend, his fist driving itself into my gut. I doubled over, only to have my face driven back upwards as his knee slammed into it, breaking my nose.

I flew backwards, managing to flip myself up right in time to avoid his next incoming punch. I desperately tried to pull on more power, poking at my catalyst, trying to find any way to access it.

All to no avail. Shiftie's fists clobbered me upwards, sending me flying into the air. I coughed up some blood, grimacing. I mentally and physically prepared myself as my body began its descent, seeing Shiftie pull his arm back. This was going to hurt. A lot.

"That's **enough**!" came a voice from the cabin. I watched in astonishment as a fireball came racing from the house and slammed forcefully into Shiftie, sending him skyrocketing through a tree. Brandy appeared instantly where Shiftie had been and caught me, setting me down on the ground gently.

I had never seen Brandy quite this angry. Her eyes were burning with a ferocity I had never witnessed. I was really glad that I wasn't on the receiving end of that. "That's enough, Shiftie. You were supposed to test his abilities, not cripple him." She said, glaring at the other druid. Shiftie snorted and hauled himself up, dusting himself off as his eyes returned back to normal. "He did well enough. He has adequate physical capabilities, but he needs to learn how to harness his catalyst, and how to use his specific powers better."

He turned around and headed back towards the cabin, "I'll help him on the finer aspects of being a druid. There's only so much I'll be able to teach him, though. He's not the same affinity as me."

I could only raise an eyebrow at this. Affinity? What on Earth was he on about?

Brandy scoffed and hooked an arm under me and helped me up. "You okay?" she asked, glancing over me briefly. I nodded and straightened up, dusting myself up, "Not the worst I've ever been through. Not by a long shot."

She sighed and lightly bopped the back of my head, not even bothering to lecture me. "Come on. I'm sure you're curious about the whole 'affinity' talk. I'll have Stitches explain it to you."

* * *

Six people sat in a lounge room, idly discussing the recent events.

"So you say he opened his catalyst, huh? Well that should be interesting. Maybe Arthas will hire him." Came the voice of a tall, lanky man.

"Don't be absurd, Jack. He's done unspeakable crimes against Arthas already! Besides, why does he need someone as inexperienced as him? I've got hundreds of times more experience than he ever will!" retorted a short, bald man.

Jack snickered, glancing at the short man, "Rufus, we all know exactly how long you've served under Arthas. There's no need to give us another run-through."

Rufus glared at the taller man, "You little brat. If my parents ever caught me disrespecting my elders like that, I would have been-"

A girl with dark hair piped up, narrowing her eyes at the two arguing men, "Would you both shut up? We're trying to have a meeting for once." Another girl next to her just sighed, "It's useless, Jade. These two bicker more than an old married couple."

"**What was that!**" came the irritated response from the two men in question. Jade giggled and poked her sister, "Gee, Jamie. I didn't know it was in you to actually insult people."

Jamie glanced at Jade, "Just because I can refrain from cussing out every person who looks my way, does not mean that I lack the ability."

"Yeah, fuck you too."

A fifth person cleared his throat, "Jade, Jamie; you two are positive that you saw the Druid kill Drake, correct?" came the voice of an enormous man. The twins nodded simultaneously. "There was no mistaking it. Druid energy has a very distinct feeling to it." Jamie mentioned, glancing around idly.

The large man sat his chin on his hand, clearly thinking, "And you're positive that he opened his catalyst?" again, the twins nodded simultaneously. "He killed Drake single-handedly. There is simply no way that was his normal power. Drake wasn't exactly the toughest of Arthas' employees, but the dude was no fuckin' push-over, either." Jade piped in, glancing towards the back of the room.

The large man followed her gaze, his eyes settling on the silhouette sitting on the window sill. "Don't stop the meeting on my behalf, Dawkis." came Ben Hanscom's voice from the window, his eyes staring at the bright moon in the sky. "My father knew what the dangers were. His death is his own fault."

Dawkis nodded, turning back to the gathering of people, "If he did in fact turn into a scourge, then he will seek us out eventually. They will not accept him for what he will become. I know this for certain."

The large man put his hand on his chin again, "You are positive that he became a scourge, right?"

Jade shifted nervously in her seat, "Well… no. They had backup coming in quickly and we had to leave. B-but his catalyst was definitely open, and I don't think they would have been able to close it." Dawkis nodded again, before sighing, "Well, whatever the case, he will seek us out. When he does, Arthas will get to decide what we do with him."

Dawkis stood up and headed towards the door, followed loosely by the other 4 members of Arthas' security. Turning back, he glanced at Ben, "Make sure to lock up when you leave, Ben."

With that, he strode out the door, the other 4 following him.

Ben made no move to show that he even heard the man. He was too busy replaying the battle in his head. _'Am I not strong enough?' _

Grabbing the wall, Ben tightened his hand into a fist, crushing a portion of the wall. He looked at the crushed wall particles in his hand, before crushing them further, and tossing them onto the floor next to the window. Hopping from the window sill, he walked slowly across the room before exiting it, and closing the door behind him.

A low chuckle echoed across the room, revealing the presence of a seventh person. Arthas Menethil smiled as he watched Ben leave the room, locking the door behind him.

"Well now, this will be interesting."

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**(Author's note:) Well, that was an interesting chapter to write. Didn't take me very long, and helped me clear up a few things as well. I hope you liked the chapter. Read and review, please.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Set in Motion**

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~Flashback~

_I sat in a chair, watching as Shiftie paced back and forth across the room, rubbing his temples. "Well," He started, "As I said, your physical prowess is decent. You hit hard enough." He glanced at me, "But your training as a druid is non-existent. Your fighting style is so linear and boring that it's terribly predictable."_

_I frowned at him, "Linear? What part of me tossing you into a tree seemed __**linear**__ to you?"_

_He scoffed. "You got lucky with that. I hadn't known what your affinity was, so your little plant trick caught me by surprise."_

_There was that word again. "Affinity? What exactly do you mean by that?" he just stared at me, before chuckling. "You really haven't been taught much yet, have you?" I wanted to retaliate, but I held my tongue. I could learn something from this. _

_Noting my silence, he continued; "Your affinity is essentially what aspects of being a druid you are genetically more adept at." I just raised an eyebrow at him, not catching what he meant. He sighed, "Okay, for instance; did you see me use any plant manipulation at all in that fight?"_

_I blinked, "Well, no… but…" then it dawned on me. "Can you not use your power to move plants?"_

_Shiftie sighed, "I can, but I'm not proficient enough at it for it to be practical in a fight. It takes too long, and the plants generally aren't as strong as they would be if I had that affinity." He lifted his hand, and to prove his point, a frail looking vine slowly crawled its way out of the cabin wall. I nodded, "So… you're more proficient at shapeshifting?" at this he nodded, "Hence the name."_

_I laughed to myself; that made sense. Tapping into my power, I made a second vine sprout near the first, encircling it and eventually strangling it. My vine was considerably stronger._

"_Now then," he continued, "you have a decent grasp on your plant manipulation, but as I said, it's linear and boring." I frowned at him again, but nodded for him to continue. Shiftie tapped his chin, "Have you ever tried to create a plant? Have you ever tried to manipulate a part of nature that wasn't already there?" I blinked, but shook my head. I had never thought of that._

"_Interestingly enough, that is the main concept behind how an artificial druid catalyst is made." Shiftie said, "Your catalyst looked like a seed, yeah? A previous druid created that by sealing the majority of his powers into it before he died." Shiftie paused, looking uneasily at my abdomen, "Judging from the strength and endurance of your catalyst, it must have been an exceptionally powerful druid."_

_The elder druid shook his head, "Anyways, the key to this is to compress your power into a seed. The nature of the seed will depend on how you compress the power." He closed his hand into a fist, and I could feel him channeling power into his hand, "If you want a tree, then focus on the physical attributes of a tree while compressing your power. It will create the seed naturally."_

_As he opened his hand, a small seed was present on his palm. The seed snapped almost immediately afterwards, turning into a fine dust as Shiftie sighed, "I can only make seeds if I focus a lot of power into them." He dropped the dust, allowing it to scatter across the floor. "Anyways, the seeds adapt quickly to their environment. They can take root in nearly any substance, and will dig their roots downwards until they find soil and water."_

_I closed my fist and began channeling power into my hand. My eyebrows threatened to lift off of my forehead as I watched in horror as the skin of my hand began to darken and harden, crumbling slightly as it toughened. My hand looked like it was dying in front of my eyes._

_Shiftie laughed as I grasped my hand, immediately flooding it with more power in an attempt to rectify whatever had happened. "Calm down, Mac. Nothing's wrong with your hand. That was actually something I hadn't planned on covering until later, but you stumbled upon it by mistake."_

"_W-what?" I nearly screamed, clutching my hand. It didn't hurt; in fact, my hand felt rather relaxed… but that did nothing to ease my anxiety, "My hand just died!"_

_Shiftie scoffed, "Died? Quite the opposite. I should have been more specific in my instructions, though." He looked over my hand, "when you channeled power into your hand, rather than compress it into a ball, like I did, you let it spread evenly over your hand while you were thinking of the physical properties of a tree." He grinned and poked at the skin of my hand, "Tell me, what does your hand feel like right now?"_

_As I brushed my other hand across my fingers, my eyes widened. "Tree bark…"_

"_That's exactly right." He said, continuing. "It is possible for a druid to change the physical properties of their body by thinking about the physical properties of a specific plant."_

_I blinked and flexed my fingers. They were still working… but they felt much stronger. "W-well… how do I revert it?" _

"_Just remove all of the power from your hand. Your skin will naturally become human skin again." He said, smirking. I did as he instructed, and was relieved when I saw my skin turned back to normal._

"_Now then, try that again, but compress your power. Make a seed."_

_I complied, closing my fist again and channeling my power to my hand. Green light began to shine dimly between my fingers as I compressed the power. The green light dimmed, and I felt my power stop compressing abruptly._

_Opening my hand, I gawked as a small, round seed was present on my palm. It was a dull red color, and it was pulsating oddly. Shiftie raised an eyebrow, "Damn. That's not bad. Most people don't get it their first time."_

_He pushed open a window, letting a breath of fresh air to flow through the room; the seed pulsed suddenly as the air blew past it. Shiftie gestured out the window; "Toss it. Let's see what you made."_

~Flashback end~

I stared blankly at the towering monstrosity of a tree that I'd created. I had imagined a Redwood when I'd created it, but this was no redwood. Redwoods don't get that big.

Shiftie had said that it probably was at least 500 feet high. He thought that I had probably overdone it with the power used in the creation of the plant; it had ripped a hole in Stitches's cabin when it exploded out of the ground.

"Don't get distracted, kid!"

I whipped around just in time, streaming power to my arm as I blocked Shiftie's punch. Flesh smacked against bark as he flinched slightly. A small crack resonated through the field, causing me to flinch as well.

"Strengthen it" Shiftie growled, "I don't want to hear anymore cracks like that."

He dropped and swung his leg out, trying to perform a sweeper kick. I grinned to myself. So he thinks that my fighting style is linear? I'll show him linear.

I braced myself and sent power to my legs, my feet sinking beneath the dirt as roots began to take root in the ground, locking me in place. Shiftie's eyes widened as his leg collided with my strengthened limb, resulting in a dull thud. Taking advantage of his momentary confusion, I sent power into my arm, grinning as my fingers became tough and bark-like. Shiftie blinked as my fist collided with his face, and I grinned as another crack ripped through the valley, but this time coming from him.

Shiftie spat onto the ground and rubbed his jaw, taking time to carefully heal it. "I'll give you props for that one. I did not expect that."

I smirked at him, "You probably won't expect this, either." The roots that had held me down began springing up around him, wrapping around his legs and waist, pulling him slightly into the dirt. I smiled and rushed forward, my bark-encased hand clenched tightly into a fist as I prepared to punch him again.

My fist shot forward, and my eye twitched in annoyance as it crashed into a barrier of short, brown fur. Shiftie grinned at me, his hand completely encased in the skin and fur of his bear form. "Oh, did I forget to mention? I can do partial transformations as a part of my affinity."

His other hand shot out, four deadly, sharp claws racing through the air with the intent to gut me. I grinned as I opened my hand, and out dropped another dull red seed. Shiftie's paw got smacked away as an explosion of bark shot upwards, expanding rapidly into the enormous trunk of another redwood tree.

I laughed and grabbed onto a branch as the trunk rose faster and faster. Shiftie just growled at me as the tree pulled me several hundred feet into the air. The older druid looked like he was about to chase me up the tree, but stopped. I saw his ear twitch, and his head snapped back towards the cabin. Glancing over there as well, I noticed two figures limping towards us steadily; Trixey and Brandy.

Glancing back at Shiftie, I noticed that he was already on the move towards the two, completely forgetting the fight. I sighed and rolled my shoulders; I didn't really like watching people get affectionate. It made me feel weird. Dropping backwards off of the tree, feathers began sprouting from my body as I felt my bones become hollow. I stretched out my wings and banked, flipping myself up and zipping over the heads of the other three people. I glanced back at Trixey briefly. I couldn't confront her. Not yet.

I hit the ground with a dull thud as I reverted the transformation. I calmly strode through the door of the cabin and yawned, popping my shoulders absentmindedly.

A chill ran up my spine as an unfamiliar voice made itself apparent, "You know, it's not good to blame yourself for what happened to my captain."

I twitched as I glanced at the couch. Sitting there was a face I didn't recognize. She had pitch black hair, ghostly pale skin, and dark blue eyes that seemed absolutely devoid of emotion. "Just who are you, exactly?" I asked, upping my guard as a precaution. She seemed surprised for just a second, but quickly covered it up, "My name is Alvina. We met briefly when you first came here. We met once more when the Captain picked you up from your High School."

I blinked in surprise, noting that I had never seen Alvina without her hood up. I also recalled the large demonoid thing that had been with her, and glanced around warily. "You don't need to worry. My pet appears only when summoned, and does only what I command it to." She said calmly, thoughtfully reading my expression.

"Alvina's right though, Mac. You really shouldn't beat yourself up over what Trixey did." Came the all-too familiar voice of Calypso. "She made the choice to save you. She could have let you turn into a scourge, but she didn't." she put her hand on my shoulder as her voice floated from behind me.

I just ignored them. I wasn't in the mood for this at the moment. Sighing, I turned around towards the door. I shrugged Calypso's hand off and strolled on out the door, heading towards the portal. They didn't try to stop me as I passed through the portal, feeling the faint tug on my body as I was instantly teleported several thousand miles.

"Nngh." I grunted irritably as the sunlight hit my eyes, forcing me to hold up an arm to shield my eyes. In doing so, a large object down the road caught my eye. There was a pure black car with tinted windows coming down the road. Acting on my instincts, I immediately transformed into a bird and settled myself on the roof of the warehouse, watching as the car parked itself directly in front of the warehouse I was sitting on. All of these warehouses were vacant to my knowledge.

The first person to get out of the car came out of the passenger side, and was a girl with bright blonde hair. She had a large smile on her face, and was looking around gleefully as her hand shielded her bright green eyes from the sun. "You think he really killed Drake, Derreck?" my internal alarms were going off wildly, but I forced myself to stay calm.

As she said these words, another person stepped out of the car. He looked relatively young, maybe in his late 20's, but he already had a noticeable bald spot to go with his 5 o'clock shadow. "No. I really don't. Drake wouldn't go down that easily to some punk." Derreck glanced at the female, "And don't call me Derreck. You know that you have to use my codename, Invy."

Invy just giggled, "Whatever you say, Atek! By the way, how long are you going to let that bird listen in on our conversation?"

My eyes widened, and I immediately unfolded my wings to start flying away. Invy smirked and a faint 'pop' sounded as she vanished on the spot. A similar 'pop' came from right behind me, and I couldn't move before my limbs started becoming numb. A chilling cold ran throughout my entire body as I watched my feathers acquire a thin sheet of ice on them. I squawked indignantly and surged power throughout my body, shattering the ice and reverting my transformation back to human form. Invy raised her hand and grinned, a blue mist beginning to form on her palm. Before I could react, a bright blue ball of ice fired from her palm, headed straight for me. I snorted and batted the ball away with a bark-encased backhand, flinching slightly as a chilling cold struck through my hand, but left no real damage.

Raising my hand at her, I grinned as my fingers came together, tapering off into a single, deadly sharp point, effectively turning my hand into a wooden spear. I rushed forward as she fired another ball at me, smoothly ducking under it and pushing off the roof as another ball shot under me. Invy frowned and raised both hands up in a sweeping motion, causing a large wall of ice to raise from the roof.

I thrust my spear forward, piercing the wall gradually and pushing farther and farther into it. A crack split through the entire wall, causing it to split in half and topple, allowing my hand to travel the rest of the way to the girl. She vanished in a 'pop', and appeared behind me, a blue mist around her hand again.

She whirled around, her hands forming a large ice ball that she hurled at me. I grunted and whipped around, thrusting my spear into the freezing ball.

My eyes widened as the ball began gradually pushing me back, the strain on my arm becoming painful. A thin layer of ice began creeping up my arm from the spear point, numbing everything it touched.

I bit back a cry of pain and slammed my foot down, punching a large hole in the roof. I kicked my leg backwards, pushing the metal roofing back further, widening the hole. Immediately I dropped down into the warehouse, power surging through my hand as I gradually fought off the creeping ice.

I groaned and looked around in the darkness; I didn't know how to get out of here. "Oh little Druuuuiiiidddd!" came the sing-song voice of Invy from the roof, "I'm sorry for hurting you! We're just here to talk, I promise!" she giggled at the end, her eyes peering into the darkness. Invy's eyes widened and she pulled her face out of the way just in time to avoid a spear made of wood flying out from the darkness, courtesy of me. The spear traveled across the warehouse lot and dug itself deep into the trunk of a nearby tree.

"Well, that wasn't very nice." Came her voice from the hole, a small pout on her face. I breathed deeply and focused on the roots beneath the warehouse. Carefully I began hollowing the ground beneath the building, creating a small tunnel with the roots. I punched the concrete with a reinforced fist, splitting it open. I was instantly rewarded with a huge amount of dirt exploding upwards, my roots pushing it out of the ground, and across the floor of the warehouse.

I quickly dropped into the tunnel, briefly noting that the roots holding up the ceiling of the tunnel were holding up very nicely. I had to crouch as I made my way through the tunnel, and grinned as I came to approximately the area that was next to the warehouse that she was standing on. I smiled and opened my hand, dropping a small seed into the dirt.

The ground above me tore open as a tree sprang forth, its trunk barely missing the warehouse as it skyrocketed upwards with me clinging to one of its strong limbs. I kicked off of the tree as I spotted the blonde girl; her look of absolute shock was infinitely amusing. I barked out a laugh as I raised my fist, preparing to make a mess of that annoying little face of hers.

My bark-encased fist sailed into her face… and shattered it? I could only gawk stupidly as her entire body erupted in a spray of ice; shattering into a million cold, little pieces.

My breath hitched as a blade pressed itself against my throat; a blade that was definitely as cold as ice. "My, my, my. That IS a neat little trick you have. Too bad I've seen it before." Came her bubbly voice from behind me.

"Mac! Duck!" came a familiar voice. Sending power to my throat, I covered the region with bark. I almost did a double-take as Invy made no move to slit my throat as I ducked, rolling out of the way. It was just in time, too; as soon as I ducked, a raging fireball cruised over where I just had been, aimed at Invy. Invy's eyes narrowed slightly, but she disappeared with a small 'pop'.

A 'pop' sounded next to me, and I jolted, but calmed down as I noticed it was only Brandy. She didn't look at me, her attention was on Invy as her hands became engulfed in flames again. "Well, well. If it isn't you again, Invy. Tell me, why exactly are you attacking OUR allies?" Brandy questioned, her hands raised threateningly.

"Put the fire down, Mage." Came a cool voice to our left. I noticed the male that had been with Invy standing there, an arrow notched in a wicked looking bow. "We're not here to fight."

Brandy's eyes narrowed, "That's funny, Hunter. I could have sworn that your partner had a knife against the neck of MY friend!"

"She wasn't going to kill him; you know that. Stop picking unnecessary fights." He said, his eyes never leaving Brandy. He frowned and suddenly went rigid, as a deadly serrated knife appeared at his neck, courtesy of Calypso. "Oooh, Atek! It's been such a long time. You never say hi to me anymore!" Calypso said, bouncing slightly as her knife left a light scratch in his neck. "Oopsie!" she said, giggling.

"Brandy. Calypso. Stand down." Came the voice of Stitches from the portal warehouse. "We aren't going to fight them."

The two girls in question backed off, Brandy more reluctantly. The girl in question helped me up, frowning as she spotted a small patch of frostbite on my neck. Her hand rested lightly on my neck, comfortable warmth radiating out from it. I sighed in content as her power melted away the frostbite, healing the wound.

"And you said you couldn't heal" I teased, poking her. She just rolled her eyes, glaring at Invy, "Mages are capable of undoing the negative effects of Mage power."

"To what do we owe this visit, Atek?" Stitches said, glancing at the hunter. Atek sighed and rolled his shoulders lazily, "We caught wind of a rumor. What is the current condition of Drake Hanscom?"

"Deceased" Stitches said quickly, ignoring my sudden tension. Atek's eyebrows raised slightly, "So. He's finally gone, then? Who did it?" His eyes locked with mine as he said this, as if he already knew the answer.

"He did." Stitches said, pointing directly at me.

Atek looked me over, analyzing me. "He didn't do it alone" he asserted, locking eyes with Stitches. "Who helped him?"

Stitches' face remained black as he returned the stare, "He did it alone. By himself. None of us helped him." Atek just raised an eyebrow, looking at me again, "You're either lying to me, or he held back against Invy. Drake going full out would beat either of us alone."

"He opened his catalyst." Stitches said, matter-of-factly. Atek's eyebrows shot up, glancing at me, "He opened it? How is that possible? He doesn't have the experience necessary to have access to all of his power!"

Stitches' face remained emotionless, "He has an artificial catalyst. It's not genetic."

Invy's eyes flashed dangerously as she looked me over, her eyes scanning me with a new-found interest. "Artificial, huh?" Atek continued, looking me over again, "Well, I suppose that explains it."

"And how did he acquire an artificial Druid catalyst, Ian?" Invy said, her eyes narrowing. Stitches smirked slightly, "I gave it to him. It was given to me by an old friend."

I looked between the two nervously. There was clearly something going on here that I wasn't understanding.

"No matter." Atek said, in an attempt to ease the tension. "The fact remains that a powerful member of Arthas' payroll is dead, and we suffered minimal losses in the process." Stitches nodded, pushing me slightly towards the door, "I'm assuming that you two will have questions you'd like to ask Mac. Would you like to come inside?"

Atek shook his head, glancing warily at his partner, who was still coldly glaring at Stitches. "I think it would be best of we left. Grahoth just wanted confirmation of what had happened. You know how he hates to work off of rumors." Stitches nodded again, "How is Grahoth? We haven't talked in some time."

Atek sighed, "It's been rough on him. We've been getting knocked around by Arthas' various teams, and have been struggling to keep people alive through it all. It's not going well in the east, Stitches."

Stitches tapped his chin, "Well, you tell Grahoth that I'm going to send a team over there to check up on things, and maybe lend a hand. Are you guys still stationed in Oklahoma?"

The hunter sighed again, "That's a negative. We've been getting pushed up north from Arthas' Austin outpost. We're holed up in Kansas right now." Atek sighed and looked towards the cascade mountains, his gaze wandering eastwards, "His security is stronger than ever, and they've been all across the nation strengthening his individual outposts. The scourge are getting stronger."

Stitches clapped a hand on his shoulder, looking in the same direction, "Don't worry about it. We get stronger faster." And with that, Stitches turned us around and started walking back towards the portal. Atek put his hand on Invy's shoulder, "Alright Invy, let's head out."

Invy shot stitches one last glare before turning around.

* * *

Ben's skulked quietly through the dead silent hallways of the financial division of his Father's old work building. Drake had given Ben a spare key to his office long ago, in case he had ever needed to get in there.

Rounding a corner, he quietly peered down it, gazing only into darkness; it would appear that the Janitor had gone home. Ben paused as he reached the end of the hallway. In front of him stood the double doors of his father's office.

Whipping out his key, he quickly unlocked the doors and slipped inside, flinching as the doors closed with a loud 'click'. Ben smiled as he gazed at his father's computer; the office hadn't been cleaned out yet.

Last night had been an inspirational night for Ben, mainly because he had rediscovered an important piece of information that he had gained in California; a piece of information that could lead to his revenge. Sure, it was only a hunch, but some of the greatest discoveries of mankind had been only hunches to begin with.

Turning on the computer, he quickly typed in the three required passwords, and logged on. Pulling up his father's employee archives, he pulled up the sub-folder for the California outpost. Pacific Telecommunications had been one of the larger outposts, and had a large list of employees, all of them having to get their picture taken for their profile.

Ben's mind flashed briefly to the moments just after the facility had collapsed. He remembered the hammer bitch… but there was also the girl she was carrying. She had been dressed in the uniform of an employee, and that would definitely mean that she was a scourge. The fact that a scourge was being carried by the hammer bitch could mean only one thing… she meant something to them.

'_Kacher… Kallia… Kallinger… Kartwall…' _ Ben paused, the last name causing his face to twist into a snarl. Clicking on the provided link, a profile of 'Shae Kartwall' popped up, listing the information they had acquired for him. The druid's cocky grin stared back at him. Mocking him.

A link towards the bottom caught Ben's eye. 'Secretary'… he had someone working under him? How on Earth had he managed to sneak into such a high position? Clicking on the link, Ben's blood ran cold as he saw the picture attached to the profile.

His dumbfounded expression twisted upwards into a sadistic grin as he read the name attached to the picture.

"Sarah… Katriel…"

* * *

**(Author's note:) Okay guys, there you have it. Chapter 19.**

**Now; I have one, simple request for most of you guys. Please review more. In the last two chapters, I have gotten two reviews. Both of those reviews came from the same person. Out of the nearly 6,000 hits that this story has gotten, there are only 33 reviews total. I am begging you guys to review if you want this story to keep going. I'm not threatening you, just warning you. I get my inspiration to write from the words of the people who read it. Right now, it feels like I'm pushing out four thousand words for one person. Please fix this. **

**Plus, the more things you guys bring attention to that need fixing, the more things that will be fixed before they become unfixable. I need you people!**

**Also, props to Captain Price for his faithful reviewing! Thank you for being awesome!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Abandoned**

* * *

**(Author's note:) Alright guys. This is chapter 20. Now, I was thinking that I should probably clarify one little thing to all the die-hard WoW fans reading my story. I am only basing this off of WoW. The 'classes' are based off of classes in WoW, but are not EXACTLY the same. I may add skills/abilities that a certain class in WoW has never had. The only real thing I directly copied from WoW was Arthas. I only did that because he is an amazing antagonist. Some things just wouldn't make sense. For instance, would it look weird if Mac could suddenly just make a Hurricane appear? I thought it would seem a smidge OP. Anyways, on with the story.**

* * *

I breathed a sigh of relief as the flames died down from Brandy's hands, her eyes never leaving Invy's back.

She jumped as I put a hand on her shoulder, and I put my guard up reflexively. "A-are you okay, Brandy?" I asked tentatively. She nodded, but said nothing. My eyes narrowed, "Well, what was all that, then? How do you know her?" Brandy looked at me, bit her lip, and then glanced at the retreating backs of our friends. She began fidgeting nervously, clearly trying to decide if she wanted to explain or not.

"Well… I-"

I cut her off, holding up a hand. "If you aren't comfortable with telling me, then don't." I said, before turning around, prepared to follow Stitches and the others back inside. I didn't get two steps before I felt Brandy's hand on my shoulder, "No… I need to tell someone." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. I raised an eyebrow at this, "Tell someone what, exactly?"

She shook her head, "Not here. Definitely not here. Let's head back inside, and finish up for the day, and I'll tell you later tonight, okay? We can head over to my place." She looked around in a slightly paranoid manner, "I'm not talking about it out in the open like this."

I bit my lip, my brain whizzing through possibilities sporadically. The craving hunger for knowledge was gnawing at my patience as I nodded to her; I really wanted to know now.

The others were waiting for us as we came back into the portal. I could see Trixey looking at me expectantly; I suddenly remembered why I had wanted to leave so suddenly. I glanced towards the portal, suddenly doing a 180, "I actually have to go explain stuff to Shelby… I'm sure she's worried si-" I was cut off as Brandy forcefully grabbed the back of my collar, dragging me awkwardly towards the gathering of people.

Calypso giggled as Brandy slammed me forcefully in an open chair. "You are a part of this meeting. Stay." She said, her eyes narrowing.

Stitches pulled out a small fold-out table and set it in the middle of us, laying out a map of the US on top of it. "Now then. Let's go ahead and brief everyone on what EXACTLY the situation is." Stitches said, grabbing a pencil.

"We are right… here" he said, marking the north-western part of Washington, close to the Puget Sound. "As of one year ago, Arthas had outposts here, here, and here." He continued, marking several locations throughout Washington, one of them being on Seattle. "Thanks to the combined efforts of all of you, we have eliminated every known outpost in Washington State, as well as his major facility in Los Angeles."

Stitches cleared his throat, and moved eastwards on the map, "Due to the loss of his major facility, any remaining outposts will have to cut their monetary losses and close down."

"Arthas had three main facilities in the US. The first and largest is in New York City. That is where his main 'base' is, if you will." Stitches stated, marking an 'x' on New York. "His New York facility deals with all importing and exporting of European goods. That is where the majority of his money comes from."

Stitches cleared his throat again, "The third facility he established was the one we destroyed in Los Angeles," Brandy cleared her throat at the word 'we', prompting Stitches to throw her an irritated glance, "this facility's purpose was to maintain trade with Australia, New Zealand and the Asian countries."

Stitches moved the pencil to the south, "Finally, we have Arthas' southern facility in Austin, Texas." He circled the city in question, "This facility deals mostly in black market trading with Central and South America." Moving the pencil upwards, he circled the state of Kansas. "This is where Grahoth's group is. Their objective for the last two years has been to sabotage the southern facility."

He tapped the state, "This is where a small group of you will be going." He paused, waiting for a response. I spoke up, "Well… what about Washington? Won't we be needed here?"

Stitches shook his head, smiling. "No. Due to the collapse of the western facility, Arthas is almost completely powerless on the west coast. Washington has little to worry about from him." My eyes widened, the consequences of our actions finally occurring to me.

"So… why did he let us go?" I asked tentatively, noticing Brandy and Trixey tense up at the memory.

The doctor tapped his chin, "I've thought about that. First of all, you three were in a crowded airport. He would have had to get you out of there without raising suspicion, and then kill you all in a quiet manner." I tensed up, flinching, "Secondly, I am positive that Arthas is confident in his ability to recover from this. He doesn't consider it a considerable loss." My eyebrows rose at this. I wanted to say something, but Stitches cut me off, "And finally, and most importantly… Arthas' extended life and monstrous power has caused him to develop the nasty habit of underestimating his opponents. If he falls, that will undoubtedly be why."

He let the words sink in, glancing at the group. "There is now the matter of deciding who goes to Kansas. I don't know how long you all will be gone, or what you will be doing there. As soon as you cross into the state boundaries, you are Grahoth's subordinates, and are to take your orders from him." He added, waiting for a response.

Calypso spoke up, "How many will be going?" Stitches glanced at her, and thought about something briefly, tapping his chin again. "No more than three. I want to keep the majority of the group in Washington just in case. Three will be enough to assess the situation, at very least."

Trixey raised her hand, but Stitches immediately shot her down, "Trixey, you are not fully healed. I'm not sending you anywhere until you can operate at 100% efficiency. Understood?"

Trixey said nothing, but looked away dejectedly, nodding. My heart sunk at the look on her face. "Calypso. You're our best hand-to-hand specialist. I'm assuming you have nothing else to do?" Stitches said, glancing at the Rogue. She giggled and shook her head, "All free, chief! I'll start packing."

Stitches' eyes locked with mine, causing my blood to freeze. I almost started hyperventilating as he opened his mouth, prepared to make the suggestion.

"I'll go with her."

A breath of relief escaped my lips as Shiftie stood up, shooting me a reassuring glance. Stitches raised an eyebrow, "Wouldn't you rather stay here with your girlfriend who just woke up, Shiftie?" he asked, a disbelieving tone in his voice.

Shiftie's breath hitched, shooting a look down at Trixey, who returned the glance with a reassuring smile. The older druid nodded at Stitches, causing the man to glance between Shiftie and myself. "Alright. Considering that we will be sending two of our strongest combatants over there, I would prefer that we leave it at that. I have no doubt that it will be enough." Stitches said, throwing me another inquiring look, which I pretended not to see.

"Alright…" Stitches said, rolling up the map, "That's all I really wanted to discuss with you guys." He picked up the map and pencil and began walking towards the cabin. "Calypso and Shiftie; make sure that you are ready to leave within the week." I turned around, intent on leaving before Trixey could stop me.

"Mac, could you stay here for a few minutes, please? I need to do a quick examination on your catalyst." I cussed internally at hearing Stitches' remark. "Yeah, yeah." I replied, turning around again.

Brandy paused, looking at me with a slightly disappointed glance as I passed her, "Swing by my house later. After nine, preferably. That's when my sister heads to sleep." She whispered, my ears barely catching her words. I nodded briefly in confirmation.

Stitches was waiting inside the kitchen as I walked in. He gave me a curious glance as I sat down in a chair.

"Can I ask what that was about, Mac?" he asked; his voice stern, but gentle. I feigned ignorance, "What was what about, Stitch?"

His eyes narrowed, "I want to know why you looked like you were about to piss your pants when I was going to select you for the mission." I flinched and looked away, my mind flashing through the memories of my fight with the Hanscoms, and my brief encounter with Arthas. "I'm scared…" I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. An image of a bruised and bloody Trixey flashed through my mind, "Arthas could easily kill me… most of his subordinates could as well…" I bit my lip, "I don't want Trixey's life to be in danger over me."

Stitches nodded calmly, his chin on his hand. "I see. You're frightened to die… but also to harm your friends inadvertently. Correct?"

I nodded in confirmation, looking away.

Stitches clapped his hand on my shoulder, startling me. "You've been overworking yourself, Mac. I can see the stress building up from a mile away. Between all the healing you've done, and all the crap you've had to go through, you're going to end up snapping." He grinned at me; a very uncharacteristic grin, "Go get laid."

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head, "Excuse me!" I said, startled out of my mind. I had never, ever heard Stitches say something so unprofessional. He laughed, "You heard me; go get laid. Trixey told me all about the girl in California. Take a vacation. Go have fun."

I was about to retort when suddenly something clicked. "W-wait… the girl in California… you know that she was a scourge, right?"

Stitches only grinned wider. "Yeah. She's probably got almost as much stamina as you would have by now."

My eye twitched madly at the implication, "Th-that's not the point! She's a scourge! I can't count all the times that you have called scourge evil, or corrupt, or…" I finished, grasping lamely for more adjectives. Stitches glanced at me, slightly surprised, "Mac, do you know what it's called when you categorize an entire group as something based on the actions of an individual of that group?" I blinked at him, not understanding where he was going with this. "It's generally referred to as a generalization." Stitches sighed, looking out a window, "The two groups in question, the scourge and us, are bitter rivals. It can almost be compared to the Democrats and Republicans of this country."

I blinked more, still not seeing what he was saying. Stitches glanced at me and continued, "Just because Arthas is evil, does not mean that all of them are." He sighed again, "There are some significant genetic differences between us and them, obviously… but neither side is inherently good or evil."

Finally I caught on, "Aaah… so… what are the differences… genetically?" I asked, almost scared of the answer.

"Scourge aren't human. That is the biggest difference." He said simply, causing me to freeze. "N-not human?" I stuttered, flabbergasted. He nodded at me, "When a non-scourge turns into a scourge, their body essentially dies. Their normal biological regulators turn off, and their body stops aging." I knew what he was getting at now.

"So… they are… frozen?" I asked in disbelief. "In time." Stitches corrected, "Frozen in time."

"This is not exclusive to them, however." Stitches added, "The reason they stop aging is because their body becomes so overloaded with power that it simply stops decaying. Cells stop dying." He glanced out the window again, momentarily distracted, "It… it is possible for a non-scourge to go through the same process, but gradually. If you were to ever fully absorb your catalyst, then you would stop aging." He finished, his eyes locking with mine.

I was shell-shocked. I couldn't even breathe; my mind was too overloaded. After a few minutes, I managed to recover enough to spit out a sentence. "S-so… why do scourge die in the process of acquiring all their power… but we don't?" I asked quietly. Stitches sighed, rubbing his temples, "It's not the fact that we both have our power… but rather, the way we got it. A scourge turns into a scourge because they overloaded their body with power. They kill themselves by absorbing their power too quickly. The way to properly absorb it is to take it in gradually; over the course of 10-50 years, depending on the individual." Stitches said, his eyes on my abdomen.

Dumbstruck, I clutched at my old scar subconsciously, an odd pulse traveling up my arm.

"I… I think I need to go, Stitches." I mumbled, dazed. Stitches nodded, patting my back again, "I'm serious, though. Take a vacation; you need it."

I could only nod stupidly as I walked out the door, my mind sorting through the information.

* * *

Sarah sighed as she sat on the couch in her apartment, hugging her knees to her chest. She glanced at the clock, noting that it was half past three, and she still hadn't done anything constructive.

Mac sat awkwardly across from her, his dark eyes never leaving her. "Sarah..." he began, nervously, "Maybe we should… get some air. Take a walk. Something…" he said, pleadingly. Sarah shook her head, looking at the clock again; a minute had gone by. "I don't really feel like it, Mac." She said, exhaustion plain in her voice. Mac looked away, biting his lip nervously.

It had been three days since Shae had disappeared. Three of the longest days of her life. It had mainly consisted of her sitting in bed and looking at the clock, or sitting on the couch and looking at the clock. She sniffed lightly, drawing Mac's attention again. "Please Sarah… this isn't healthy…" he pleaded, putting a hand on her shoulder. She shied away from his hand slightly, "I just don't want to do anything."

Mac's features turned angry as he bit his lip, thinking about the punk-ass druid who had caused this mess. "You can't keep moping around here, Sarah. That isn't going to bring the fucker back!" he yelled, a bit harsher than he'd intended. He instantly regretted his words as her gaze turned towards him, a coldness radiating from it that he absolutely loathed.

"L-look," he stammered, backing up slightly, "I know you really liked him… but is it really worth it?" he held his hands in front of him when her eyes narrowed, "I mean, he walked out on you! Just like that! I would never…" his sentence drifted off, leaving the words unsaid. Sarah sighed and looked away, dispelling her frustration for the young Rogue. "You don't understand, Mac. Yes, he lied. Yes, he killed the real Shae Kartwall… but he wasn't a bad person." She said for the umpteenth time. She had already explained this to Mac more times than she could count.

Mac was about to spit out another retort, when Sarah's eyes flicked suddenly to the door, causing Mac to do the same. Sarah heard a small shuffling outside the door, like someone walking down the hall.

Not a moment later, a quick two raps at the door sounded, causing an eerie silence. Mac glanced at Sarah, who only shrugged in response; she wasn't expecting anyone.

Quietly as he could, Mac crept over to the door, not a sound being made as he peered silently through the peephole into the hallway. An enormous crack echoed through the room as a fist traveled squarely through the part of the door where the peephole was, slamming full-on into Mac's face, causing the boy to be sent flying across the room.

"Knock knock." Came a disgruntled voice. Sarah looked in horror as the door to her apartment door was forcefully kicked down, and through the frame of the door stepped a boy about her age.

The boy in question had dark grey eyes, and head of very dark brown hair that was slicked back with hair gel. "Oh, so there is someone home. It's polite to answer the door, you know." He said, his eyes evaluating the two of them. A groan came from the other side of the room as Mac pulled himself off the ground, a large bruise on his face.

"The name's Ben. I'm looking for a Sarah Katriel." His eyes locked on Sarah, and he smiled. "Well, that was easier than anticipated." He grinned wickedly as he cracked his knuckles, "Come peacefully and I won't have to beat the living shit out of both of you." He glanced over at the Rogue, who was steadying himself, "Well, I might just beat up you for fun. I don't really need you."

"And just who the fuck are you!" Sarah yelled, snarling slightly. Ben held up a hand, "Calm yourself princess. I need you for some personal business." He grinned again, "Besides, I already told you who I am."

"So then, you with the black hai-" Ben paused, looking back towards where Mac had been; he wasn't there anymore. Ben turned on the spot and snapped his hand out, catching the wrist of the other boy as he charged at him from behind, a knife held firmly in his grip. "My, aren't you a slippery little devil." Ben cocked his fist back, but stopped as he felt a powerful tug on his arm.

Looking behind him, he saw Sarah looking at him… except, she was a bit different. She was shrouded in a dark aura that was waving wildly around her, obscuring her slightly and giving her a slightly transparent look. Extending from her hand was a trail of this dark aura, which was wrapped snuggly around Ben's arm, and quickly spreading.

Ben grinned and snapped his foot out, catching Mac in the stomach and propelling him into the hallway where he crashed into a wall. He idly wondered how much time he had before someone called the cops.

Ben charged at the girl and snapped out a punch. An eerie feeling enveloped Ben's other arm as he passed straight through her; Sarah's body turning into a fine mist as she disappeared. Snarling, he turned around and noticed that Mac was no longer embedded in the opposing wall. The two had turned tail.

Sarah panted as she ran along the nearby roof, Mac barely able to keep up with her due to his stomach pulsing painfully.

Dropping into an alley next to the local park, she quickly turned to Mac. "Pull up your shirt. I'll heal you as best as I can for now." Mac pulled up his shirt, revealing a heavily bruised abdomen and chest. Running her hand across his skin, a pale white light began shining, cleaning the bruises off of his skin as it passed. Sarah could see him visibly relax, his breathing becoming less labored.

Finishing up her shoddy healing job, Sarah glanced around, looking for their pursuer. "Looks relatively clear… if we can make it downtown, then we should be clear."

Mac nodded and gasped slightly, his stomach still a bit sore. His eyes snapped up as a shadow passed overhead, and he barely managed to grab Sarah and duck out of the way before an object rocketed into the ground directly where they had been, turning a part of the alley into a crater.

Ben's eyes were dead serious as he charged out of the cloud of dust with his fist raised. Mac ducked to the side as the fist flew past and managed to bend backwards below the follow-up punch. Mac bent backwards more and pressed his hand on the ground, lifting himself in the air slightly and whipping his leg out, catching Ben under the chin.

The scourge snarled and whipped his leg out, prompting Mac to springboard off of his hand into a backflip, landing neatly on his feet. The black haired boy cocked a smile at Ben, flipping him off in the process.

Ben was about to charge at him, but stopped and dropped to one knee, moving his arms upwards in a defensive gesture just in time to stop the axe kick from Sarah. His eyes narrowed as two bright blue eyes stared back at him hatefully. The force of the kick sunk Ben into the soil slightly, but he managed to grab onto her ankle and fling her away, just in time to move his neck to the side, evading a potentially lethal slash from Mac's knife.

The blade flashed forward again, and Ben neatly bent backwards slightly, but wasn't able to avoid Sarah's incoming right-hook. The scourge had his body bounced against the dirt as Sarah's fist slammed into his face.

Ben's hand gouged trenches into the dirt as he righted himself, narrowly avoiding the next lethal swipe at his neck. He threw a quick jab at Mac which caught him in the chest, sending him off balance. Jumping upwards slightly, Ben prepared a small axe kick, but was stopped as another trail of the dark aura from before wrapped around his leg, pulling him sharply back into the ground.

The scourge rolled off his shoulders into a crouch in time to block Sarah's incoming punch, but Mac's blade was too fast for him to avoid, slicing a clean path down his extended arm.

"Alright. That's enough!" Ben yelled, his fists clenching as he delved inside for that vast reservoir of power. Sarah didn't have time to react as he grabbed her wrist, sharply turning his body 180 degrees and flinging her into the Rogue. Mac watched in dismay as the cut from his knife sealed itself up, and as his ex-girlfriend was tossed into him, causing them to land in a crumpled mess.

A fist dug itself brutally into his gut, digging him farther into the dirt, and causing him to cough up some blood. He could only watch in horror as Ben's hand flashed forward and grabbed Sarah by the neck, flinging her back across the field. Ben raced back after the other scourge, catching up to her quickly and bending low, sending a kick straight into her back, causing her to fly vertically.

Mac struggled pathetically to get up, every muscle in his body disagreeing with that decision. He snarled as Sarah landed in the dirt. She did not get up.

Ben was in front of him before he could blink, and before he knew it he was being lifted into the air. Ben's blue eyes locked with his onyx ones, contempt filling both pairs of eyes. "Listen here, and listen fucking good, you little shit." Ben said, snarling, "You are going to go to Washington state. You are going to find a town named Concrete." Ben continued, his grip loosening slightly, allowing Mac to breathe. "In this town, you are going to find that druid from before. He was the one who impersonated Shae Kartwall, remember?" Ben said, shaking the rogue for confirmation. Mac only snarled at him in return.

"When you find him, you are going to make sure that he understand that if he ever wants to see her alive again" Ben pointed to Sarah's body as emphasis, "That he is going to come to the financial office on 4th street in Manhattan alone. He will ask for a Ben Hanscom." Ben snarled and shook the boy again, "If I do not see him by this date next month, I will kill this girl. You will never, ever see her again. Do you understand?" the scourge inquired, dropping Mac on the ground.

Mac couldn't move due to all the pain he was in, but he managed to nod weakly.

"I genuinely hope you understand, Rogue." Ben said, turning around. "I don't like having to kill scourge unnecessarily."

A powerful coughing fit came over Mac, and when he looked back towards Ben, he was gone.

* * *

I sighed as I looked up at the eerie building. It was slightly more welcoming now that I wasn't here to break in, but Brandy's house still creeped me out. Skulking towards the back, I quietly moved around various scattered tools, my shoes quietly treading across the grass.

A low snort caused me to freeze. Looking to my left, I saw an absolutely enormous dog sitting in the grass, watching me. It was probably one of the largest St. Bernard's I had ever seen.

The dog huffed and got up off its haunches, taking slow strides towards me. I held my breath as I analyzed the dog. I couldn't tell if it was hostile or not. My breath released slowly as the dog's tail began to wag. The Bernard cautiously sniffed my hand which I extended slowly, and then wagged its tail more, nuzzling my hand. I smiled as I gently patted the dog's head, scratching lightly behind its ears.

"She rarely takes to people like that."

I didn't turn around as I heard Brandy's voice; I figured that she'd sense me out here.

I lightly ruffled the fur on the dog's head before turning around. Brandy was dressed in the same large t-shirt as last time, but had taken the time to put on some pajama bottoms to go with it. "It's probably the fact that I'm a druid. I naturally get along with animals." I said, smiling slightly.

She smiled, before glancing at my abdomen and biting her lip, slightly fidgeting. "Come on in. It's cold out here." She said absently, before turning around and walking through the back door which I had picked the lock of, last time.

Most of the lights were on inside the house, and I noticed a small book laying on the small table near the armchair Brandy was sitting in as I walked in. She gestured to the couch across from her, and I slowly sat down on it, looking worriedly at the older girl.

"Do you remember how you got your catalyst, Mac?" she asked, looking at the ground. I blinked at the question. "W-well… kind of. I was mostly high on morphine, so I couldn't really think all that well… but I remember most of it, yeah." I responded, trying to sift through the blurry memories.

"I remember Stitches pulling it out of a box…" I continues, looking through the fuzzy details, "It was a seed… really mossy and old…"

Brandy's eyes narrowed, "And how did he get it into you?"

I bit my lip, and lifted up my shirt, revealing the highly visible scar running vertically up my abdomen. Brandy's eyes widened and she bit her lips as her fists clenched in her lap. "He cut me open and put the catalyst inside my abdomen." I explained, noticing the look on her face.

"And you would have died, otherwise?" Brandy inquired, looking the scar over with a sobered expression.

I nodded, looking away. "Some asshole decided it would be fun to hit me with the bed of his truck." I finished, noticing her expression turn even darker. "What does this have to do with Invy, Brandy?"

Brandy didn't answer, her eyes darting nervously back and forth. She bit her lip, and I saw her fingers curl around the hem of her shirt. Slowly her hands began lifting, and my eyes bugged out of my head in response.

"B- Brandy! What are you do-" my words caught in my throat as she pulled her shirt up to just below her chest, revealing her abdomen.

A long, gruesome scar ran from the top left part of her hip, diagonally across her abdomen, ending just below her right ribs. I gaped as I looked at the scar, my mind unable to form words. Brandy lowered her shirt again, biting her lip nervously and looking out the window. Her anxiety was overwhelmingly apparent.

"So… you…" I began, trying to form a sentence. "You have an artificial catalyst as well?"

Brandy nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek. Her fingers clenched tighter into fists on her lap. "I-…" she started, her voice cracking slightly, "I've had it for about three years now."

I fidgeted uncomfortably, unsure of what I should do, "H-how… how did you get it?"

Brandy looked away, the tear dripping off of her chin onto her hand. She shook her head abruptly, her eyes slightly puffy as she looked at me, "Our mother had just died. I was working overtime as a cashier in a stupid 7-11." She sniffed, rubbing her eyes. "I was getting ready to close up when I saw some people duking it out in front of the store."

She blinked, as if trying to clarify the memory, "Except… it was different. It looked like an audition for an action film, or something… nobody could move like that without equipment to help with the choreography…" she trailed off, looking out the window. She sniffed again, "They were jumping all over the place, and at one point one of them even shot something blue at the other person… it looked like ice to me." She said. My eyes widened as a vision of Invy flashed through my head.

"Anyways… at one point in their fight, the one shooting ice got tossed through the window on the far side of the shop." Brandy continued, wiping another tear from her eyes, "The one shooting ice was Invy, as you can probably guess."

I nodded, trying to process the story. Brandy shook her head slightly, "The person she was fighting was really short… he was a bald guy, and had a really thick mustache."

My memory flashed to Arthas' security, noting that one of the members in the back had fit Brandy's description. "They started fighting inside the store… everything was getting damaged…" she paused, "I had hidden myself behind the register, trying to call 911."

"I remember a really weird feeling while I was hiding…" Brandy narrowed her eyes, trying to stop crying. "The floor glowed a bright blue, and suddenly shards of ice started sprouting out of it, piercing random things." Brandy's hand clutched at her stomach.

"I heard a really disgusting noise, and then felt really cold all of a sudden…" Brandy paused again, "It sounded like a ripping noise, and I felt my body jerk upwards slightly…"

My eyes widened in disbelief… there was no way…

"A shard of ice had come out of the floor under the counter and pierced straight through it, stabbing me in the stomach in the process." Brandy stated, her eyes glassing over.

"The glowing went away, and things got really quiet. I heard two people talking." Brandy continued, sniffling slightly, "I recognized the voice of the ice girl, and then another, different voice."

"Atek had shown up right after Invy had used that ability, and they managed to drive off the bald man." She said. "I remember hearing the sound of his shoes crunching on ice as he bent over the counter, seeing me." Brandy looked like she was about to cry again.

I gently set my hand on her knee, squeezing gently. She put her hand on top of mind absently, continuing her story. "He said something about her having to take responsibility for this… that killing normies was unacceptable." Brandy sighed, "I blacked out right after he said that."

She squeezed my hand and looked at me, "I remember waking up one more time after that… I was on a cold, metal gurney. I almost thought I'd been dropped in a morgue by mistake…" Brandy said, cracking a smile. The smile disappeared as another memory glazed over her eyes, "But… then I saw her. She hovered over me, cut me open…" Brandy's hand was squeezing mine rather painfully, "And pulled out a little red rock."

My eyes narrowed. A rock? That was certainly different. "Except… calling it a rock doesn't do it justice. It was the most beautiful gem I had ever seen before. I could feel the energy in it even as a normie…" she said, smiling at the memory. "She placed it inside of me, and a rush of energy filled my body. I blacked out again just after that."

Brandy sighed, and wiped another tear off of her face, "When I woke up, I was alone. They had left me about a block away from the store." She frowned, "I only ran into Invy one time after that. We had been in Oklahoma during this, and I found her briefly again on the other side of the state." She sniffed again, "She took one look at me before disappearing. She wanted nothing to do with me."

I squeezed her knee again, gently. She smiled up at me, and squeezed my hand reassuringly, "Today was the first time I've seen her in three years. I've had a lot of time to build up resentment for her." Brandy sighed, "I only even knew her name because her teammate mentioned it when they were discussing the fact that she had nearly killed me. Fucking bitch." She growled out the last part.

Brandy's head snapped towards the front door, and before I had registered what had happened, she had disappeared with a 'pop'.

A loud thunk against the door alerted me to where she had gone. I warily opened the door, watching with a raised eyebrow as two people fell forward into the house. Brandy was holding somebody's head onto the ground, grinding their forehead into the floor. "Just what do you think you're doing trying to pick the locks on my door, friend?" Brandy hissed at the stranger.

"G-get off me…I need… to find… the druid." My eyebrow rose at this. I signaled for Brandy to get off him. I heaved him up by his shoulders, propping him up against the wall.

Black hair hung over his equally dark eyes as the young rogue glared back at me, his words coming out in a strained hiss, "Ben… Hanscom… he has her…" he coughed out, "Ben Hanscom has Sarah."

* * *

**(Author's note:) This is why I prefer flashback sequences as opposed to verbal story telling. That was absolutely horrifying to write, guys. Anyways, I hope you guys liked the chapter. It's the beginning of the second really big arc in the story. **

**Also, if it feels like something got explained really late in the story, then it's probably not just a feeling. Either I;**

**A) Forgot to explain it earlier, or**

**B) Didn't have a good explanation for it at the time of the concept's introduction.**

'**B' is my excuse for the explanation of the scourge coming in this late. I only recently came up with a reason that I could stuff into my story. This is one of my longest chapters to date, shorter only than chapter 11. Hope you all enjoyed it. As always, read and review.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Deception**

**(Author's Note:) Here's the next installment of That-One-Shitty-Story-I'm-Trying-To-Patch-Up-While-Simultaneously-Developing-A-Plot. I like the name, to be honest.**

* * *

"W-what?" I stammered, my blood freezing in my veins.

"I told you… Ben Hanscom has her, you jackass." Mac said, his eyes narrowing in disdain. "You got her into this. You are the reason that she's being held hostage right now."

The urge to bash his face in was tempting, but I controlled myself, trying to bring my erratic breathing under control. "You… you let him just _take _her?" I asked incredulously. His response was a feral snarl.

"Of course I didn't _let him._" Mac growled, looking like he was about to hit me, "He was stronger than us. He's probably stronger than you when he goes full-out."

Grinding my teeth together, I dropped the rogue, refraining from punching something. "O-okay…" I started, my head in my hands, "What does he want from her?"

"He doesn't want anything from her. He's using her to get to you." The words were cold as they left his mouth, and I could feel my blood chill more at the implication. My mind sifted through every memory I'd had of Ben. I was certain that I'd never mentioned Sarah to him in any way.

"Th… That isn't possible." I spit out, "He couldn't have known that Sarah was connected to me. Not in a way that wasn't absolutely professional, anyways." My fingers gripped my hair, pulling almost painfully.

"It doesn't matter what should be possible, or what we want to be possible" Mac said, holding himself up against the wall, "The fact is that he has her… and he wants you to meet him in Manhattan by the 14th of next month."

My eyes narrowed. So that's what his plan was.

"Did he say where specifically?" I inquired, my mind going back to the maps in Stitches' cabin.

"He said to find him at the financial building on 4th street. He said to come alone…" The rogue was biting his lip, fidgeting nervously. "If we don't come in time, or don't come alone… he'll kill her."

I looked at Brandy. Her expression seemed to be reserved, collected. Bringing myself under control, turned to her, "What do you think about this?"

She locked eyes with me, "I think that you made a stupid decision by getting involved with someone during a mission, and that now we're all paying for it." Her words stung, and I had to look away, ashamed.

"I'll fix it." I said, clenching my fist. "I've beaten Ben before. I can do it again."

"You're an idiot if you think he'll be there alone" Mac chimed in from behind.

I sighed and held my head in my hands, pulling at my hair slightly. "I'll fix it. I don't know how, but I will fix this."

Brandy's hand on my shoulder was soothing, calming. "You won't do this alone. We have to team together for stuff like this. I'll tell Stiches in the mor-"

"No." I said firmly. "I'm not getting them involved."

Brandy's hand gripped my shoulder tightly, making me flinch, "Not getting them involved will almost certainly wind up with you dying, you moron." She said, her eyes piercing mine. "You can't take Arthas' New York base on by yourself."

"I won't. I will only be fighting Ben. Don't ask me how it's going to happen… It just will." My words had as much conviction as I could muster, despite the fact that I didn't believe a single one that left my mouth.

"I'm going to convince Stitches to send me instead of Shiftie." I said, looking at the floor. "I can't get all the way there on my own. Going with Calypso will at least get me halfway there."

Brandy sighed and hit the back of my head lightly. "You moron. If you're going, then I'm going too." She glanced at Mac, who was shifting nervously, "As for you… I don't trust you." She said, narrowing her eyes. "We don't even know that any of what you're saying is true."

"We have to trust him, Brandy." I said, cradling my head in my hands. "It's possible that he's lying to us… but I don't see what he'd have to gain by helping a scourge." I glanced at Mac, noting his slightly surprised expression. "Make no mistake, however" I said, my power swirling around me, "If I find out that you lied to me, I will do everything in my power to kill you."

Mac shuddered slightly, but nodded. "I-I'm not lying. I would never lie about something like this…"

Brandy glanced at the clock and put a hand on my shoulder. "Look, if you really want to do this… then I'm going as well."

"I do" I said, looking at her, "But we cannot tell Stitches. You know that he'd never let me go."

Brandy sighed, "I understand that… but you do know that there will be consequences for going behind his back, yes?" she said, eyeing my expression. I nodded in reply.

"Good. Now, it is almost 11, so both of you need to leave so I can get some sleep." She said, rubbing her eyes in a tired manner.

I sighed tiredly and heaved myself up off the wall that I had been leaning against, glancing at Mac. "What about him?" I asked, looking at Brandy again, "Where is he gonna sleep?"

Brandy's eye twitched slightly before she rather roughly pushed me out the door. "Your house." Was the only response I got as Mac was pushed out too. The door closed behind us with a sharp 'click'.

I sighed and glanced at Mac quickly before turning around and walking down the front steps.

Mac was quick to follow me, and soon was walking by my side, looking at the ground. "You never told me your real name." he said, his eyes never leaving the road.

I grinned to myself, "Does my real name matter?"

He frowned, "Well… I suppose not… just thought that you might want to tell me." He fidgeted a bit, glancing idly at a nearby house.

"Mac." I responded, smiling.

He blinked and looked at me, "What?"

"That's my name. Mac." I replied, watching his expression.

He squinted at me, before grinning slightly. "Now I get it. That's pretty funny, to be honest." He let out a short laugh, before glancing up at the sky, "Did Sarah ever know?"

"Nope." I replied. "She has no idea what my name is."

I casually continued walking, waiting for his outburst. "… you're going to tell her, aren't you?" came Mac's voice. I hadn't quite expected that. Pausing I stopped, glancing at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, I suppose that I could tell her, yeah." I said offhandedly, continuing my walk down the street. "Why do you care?"

"No reason."

I sighed and left it at that, slowly strolling down the dark street.

The rest of the journey was filled with silence. We reached my house about 10 minutes after we left Brandy's. I punched in the numbers to the electronic lock, wincing every time they 'beeped'.

Opening the door, I slipped inside, pointing to the couch. "You sleep there. Stay hidden. Do not be seen by either my mother or sister, you understand?" I warned, looking him dead in the eye. He nodded in return, prompting me to turn the corner and walk into my room. Closing the door behind me, I sighed and rubbed my eyes. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

* * *

Mac was nowhere to be found in the morning.

I quietly walked through the house after waking up, checking on my family, and checking for the rogue; he was gone. I sighed and cracked my neck, rolling my shoulders slightly. What a pain.

My mother had gotten used to my frequent absences as of late. She knew I wasn't stupid enough to get involved with anything bad. She still appreciated it when I'd leave notes telling her that I'd be gone an extended period of time, though. Jotting down a quick note, I briefly explained that it was possible that I'd be gone for a little while. My typical excuse was that I had taken a liking to camping, and that a few friends in town shared the same interest.

I sighed and looked at the note. Sufficient, but this excuse would wear thin eventually. I needed an apartment.

Walking out the front door, I took a deep breath. Exhaling slowly, I whipped my head towards the sound of footsteps. Mac smiled lightly as he walked around the corner, "I was wondering when you'd wake up. I've been waiting out here for the last hour or so."

I grunted, "Yeah, yeah. I haven't gotten much sleep lately." I sighed again and glanced towards the sky. "If you insist on following me, then make sure with absolute certainty that you aren't discovered. If you're found early, then we can kiss the idea of getting Sarah back goodbye."

Without looking to see his response, I ran forward, taking three quick steps and kicking off into the air. My feathers spread out rapidly, catching an updraft of air and pushing me upwards.

I saw Brandy's car parked in a lane beside the warehouse as I banked downwards, angling towards the portal. I hit the ground with a dull thud, before casually strolling into the warehouse.

The valley was silent as I walked through, casually glancing around. "Brandy?" I called out, looking towards the cabin. "Where are you guys?"

"Mac?" came Trixey's voice from inside the cabin. I cussed to myself, but continued walking towards the building. Trixey's head popped through the threshold of the door. "Mac, I'm glad you're here. We need to ta-"

I cut in, not liking where that was going, "Sorry Trixey, I'd love to stay in chat, but I actually need to find Stitches. Is he not here?"

Trixey narrowed her eyes, "Weren't you just calling for Brandy?"

Resisting the urge to cuss, I kept my face straight, "Yeah, well… I need to talk to her after-"

"It can wait." Trixey said, her hand grabbing my collar and dragging me into the cabin. "We have some things to discuss, and I'm tired of you avoiding me." I wanted to reply, or try and toss out a bullshit excuse, but she was choking me with the collar of my shirt. She abruptly slammed me down on a couch while she sat next to me, her hand on my shoulder to keep me from leaving. "Now then…" her attitude changed, her expression becoming almost pained, and her voice softening, "Why are you avoiding me?"

I looked away, her expression filling me with guilt. "I'm not-"

"Cut the crap." She interrupted, her eyes narrowing again, "You haven't said a word to me for the better part of a week. Not since your Catalyst was damaged."

I bit my lip, looking away again. "It doesn't matter. I was just feeling anti-social. Stressed out."

"If you don't tell me the truth, I am going to hurt you." She said, her face becoming blank. Her voice was filled with promises of violence, however. "Now, like I said. Cut the fucking shit. I want to hear the truth from you, god damn it!" she poked my forehead, hard enough to make me wince in pain.

"It doesn't matter, alright! It won't happen again!" I growled, my patience running out rapidly.

Trixey's face became confused, but her frustration was still very present, "What won't happen again, Mac? What is it exactly that you're making such a big fucking deal out of?" her voice rose, a tone of anger leaking into it.

"You almost died!" I yelled, my frustration breaking free. "You almost got yourself killed over me!"

A brief silence passed, making me fidget somewhat nervously.

"You're an idiot." Came her curt reply. All traces of anger were gone.

I was so taken aback by the response that I just stared at her blankly, "W-what?"

Trixey sighed and pulled me into a loose hug. "You're an idiot if you think that I wouldn't do it again. You're an ally, and more importantly, a friend. Keeping your ass out of danger happens to be in both job descriptions." She said, breaking the hug.

"Now," she said, turning me around, "the others are waiting in the kitchen, and are going to be going over the plans for the Kansas operation."

I blinked stupidly as I heard a tinkling giggle come from the kitchen… which was well within earshot of where we had been talking. "The... the kitchen, huh?" I managed to stammer out.

"It wasn't my idea." I heard Stitches say from the next room. I just sighed as I walked into the kitchen, where I saw Brandy, Stitches, Shiftie, and Calypso sitting. Calypso had a grin that looked like it would split her face, and even Shiftie had a knowing smirk.

"Whatever." I grumbled as I took a seat next to Brandy, who gave me a small pat on the back.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way," Stitches began, "Shiftie and Calypso, since Arthas undoubtedly has the airlines watched, you two will be taking a roadtrip." Shiftie groaned, shaking his head as Stitches continued, "I know it's inconvenient, but surprise is the _only_ advantage we have right now. I'm not going to give that up in favor of comfort."

Shiftie spoke up, clearly irritated, "Come on, doc! Can't we take a private airline or something? There's gotta be a faster way than this."

"A private airline is still too risky. You two driving there is the only way I can guarantee you going undetected." Stitches replied. "I have to pay for the gas on this trip. Do you think I'm exactly happy about that?"

"Stitches." I spoke up, getting the Doctor's attention.

Stitches turned to me and smiled, "Ah, Mac! That reminds me, I have the money for your vacation as well."

"I want to go to Kansas in place of Shiftie." I said, getting straight to the point. Shiftie blinked from across the table, raising an eyebrow at me, as did Calypso.

Stitches narrowed his eyes, analyzing my expression with startling scrutiny. I put on my best pokerface. "Yesterday you didn't seem too eager to go," he said, keeping my fear previous fear unknown to the others. "What's changed?"

"I had a change of heart. I want to help more." I lied, keeping my face blank.

Trixey spoke up, her eyes narrowed slightly, "Mac, if this is about me, then you don't have to prove anythi-"

"I'm not out to prove myself to anyone. I just want to go." It wasn't a lie this time. Stitches wanted to object, his expression turning from skeptical to disbelieving. Trixey looked worried as well, and even Shiftie looked upset about the whole thing.

I could sense Brandy tensing up beside me as Stitches sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine. Due to your inexperience, I'm not sending just the both of you, though. You'll be taking a third person."

Brandy's hand shot up, "I'll go with them." She said curtly.

Stitches became even more skeptical at that statement, "What about your sister?"

"Kendra's a big girl. I have more than enough money stored around the house for her to live comfortably for an extended period of time." Brandy replied, her face becoming blank as well. "She's used to me being away frequently."

Stitches looked between the two of us, clearly not believing a word we've said. There's something you're not telling me." He said, before sighing. "But, somehow I think you'll be going that way no matter what I do." He looked over at Shiftie, "Well, you're off the hook, Shiftie. You can avoid the big, nasty car ride now."

Shiftie tossed another weird glance my way, before standing up and stretching, "Well, whatever works. Think I'm gonna go take a nap. Call me if you need me." And with that, he strolled out of the kitchen, closing the door to the cabin as he left.

"Now, you three will be leaving in the next couple of days, so make sure that you're prepared to depart on a moment's notice." Stitches finished, his skepticism no less apparent.

I sighed and got up, turning to where Shiftie had gone to. He had information I could use.

* * *

Ben glanced up from his computer screen, his eyes locking with the eternally-pissed eyes of Sarah Katriel. The return from California had been peaceful, but he only had so many sedatives. For now, all he could do is keep her tied up, and hope that she didn't find a way to break the ropes binding her to the chair.

"Your face is going to get stuck like that." Ben remarked, his eyes shifting back to his computer.

"Piss off." Came the curt reply.

He sighed again, his fingers typing at the keys as he briefly reviewed the document he was editing. The deal he had made with Arthas was that he could use his father's old building for his own purposes, so long as he did a portion of the work there. The work he was given was easy enough; the harder bits were distributed to the other offices.

"He's not going to come." She said, her voice no less hate-filled.

Ben glanced up again, quirking an eyebrow, "Oh? And why do you think that?"

Sarah snorted, "He was my boss. Nothing more, nothing less. Unless someone pays him to come rescue me, I doubt it's going to happen."

Ben rolled his eyes, "I witnessed things that definitely contradict that. If he was 'just your boss', I doubt he'd have bothered saving you from the building." He noticed her glare become less intense, "Besides, I have firsthand experience with how far that particular druid will go to save someone. He'll come." '_After all, he'd break his own catalyst just to save that one girl._' Ben thought, a smirk appearing on his face.

Sarah looked somewhat doubtful now, her expression becoming worried, "Well… why? Why do any of this?"

"I don't sit well with losing. I've lost to him too many times." Ben replied, his eyes returning to the monitor. "Furthermore, he killed my father. I don't hate him for that, but I still have to get revenge." Ben grinned again, "I might actually thank him for that. He freed me from years of that asshole's abuse."

"So you're going to kill him after he did you a _favor_?" she practically yelled, her voice incredulous.

Ben raised an eyebrow, "Who said anything about killing him? If I'm left with no other choice, then sure, but my goal isn't to kill him."

The girl blinked, obviously confused, "Then… what's your goal?"

Ben sighed, "I told you. Revenge. He embarrassed me, so I'm going to do the same to him."

Sarah just glared at him again, "That doesn't make any sense. Why make him come all the way out here?"

He just sighed, shrugging his shoulders, "Insurance, I guess. He might want to kill me after this, and I don't know with complete confidence that I can beat him. Also, I can be more certain that he doesn't have his shitty little friends hiding in a bush somewhere."

The door opening caught Ben's attention. Only a select few people had keys to his father's office.

A head of green hair popping through the doorway made Ben groan internally, "Hey Ben, Dawkis wanted to know if..." Jade's sentence cut off as she closed the door behind her. She blinked as her eyes registered the other girl in the room, who was currently tied to a chair.

"What. The. Fuck." Jade slowly said, her eyes turning to Ben.

"Woah, woah." Ben cut in, waving his hands defensively, "This isn't how it looks, alright?"

"Ben, you have a girl tied to a chair in a locked office. How the fuck is this supposed to look?" Jade demanded, her eyes narrowing. "You better have a damn good explanation, or I'm just going to castrate you on the spot."

"She's a hostage!" Ben yelled, backing himself up.

Jade's eyes narrowed before she turned back to Sarah, "Has he touched you?"

Sarah glanced over at Ben, "Will you kick his ass if I say yes?"

Jade sighed before rubbing the back of her head in a tired manner, "A hostage? Would I be able to guess who you're blackmailing, Ben?" she asked, her mind flicking to the Druid from Washington.

"Maybe" Ben muttered, looking away.

Jade sighed again before walking up and smacking Ben in the head, "Don't do anything stupid, alright? You know how well the last fight with him went."

"I'm taking precautions this time. Nothing will happen to me." Ben said, smiling.

Jade looked at him with a skeptical expression, before deciding to drop it. "Well, whatever. Just make sure you don't touch her, got it? If I find out that you hurt her in any way, I will make you wish you were never born." Jade threatened, her eyes becoming deadly.

She began walking towards the door, before turning back after a pause, "Oh, and Dawkis wanted to know if you'll be done with your work soon. We have a meeting in about an hour, and it concerns some new intel on the Washington group." Jade opened the door and stepped through, "Show up if you have time, but it's going to happen with or without you." With that, she closed the door behind her, the latch clicking into place.

Ben smiled to himself and sat back down, fully intent on finishing the document on time.

* * *

"Shiftie!" I yelled, managing to catch up to the elder druid before he had reached his car.

He cocked an eyebrow at me, turning around. "You guys done with the meeting already? That was quick." He seemed like he wanted to ask about my sudden change of heart, but decided to let it go.

"Yeah. We're done. He just told us to be ready to leave on a second's notice." I replied, rubbing the back of my head, "Listen, I need to ask you about something."

He looked relatively surprised by this, "Ask me about what, specifically?"

"I need to be able to open my catalyst." I said, getting straight to the point. "I need to be able to open it without breaking it."

Shiftie sighed, before opening his car door, "Sorry bud. I can't help you there. If you had an actual catalyst, I _might _have been able to help… but definitely not with an artificial one."

"Well why the hell not!" I demanded, my frustration getting the better of me.

Shiftie sighed and sat down in the driver's seat, glancing at his feet, "Well… the thing is, even if you had the real deal, it's not something you can teach." I quirked an eyebrow, signaling him to continue, "Gaining access to your catalyst… it's different for everyone; motivated by different needs, feelings, et cetera. It's something you gain through years of preparation."

"But you said you might have been able to teach me, right?" I replied.

"Yes. If you had an actual catalyst, I could have at least given it a shot. There wouldn't have been nearly as much of a risk." He answered, shaking his head. "An artificial catalyst is absorbed into your body faster than a typical catalyst. The downside of this is that it is extremely rare to access the power prematurely without completely breaking the catalyst, and overloading your body with power."

Shiftie held up two fingers, "You've done this twice." He gestured with the first finger, "The first time you did it, you were lucky that you didn't break it even a fraction more than you did. The second time, you were lucky that my girlfriend was nearby." He finished, waving both fingers. "I'm not a gambling man, and I'm certainly not going to gamble with your life – so to speak."

I grinded my teeth in frustration, "There's got to be a way" I said, looking towards the eastern mountains, "I can't fight Arthas' minions as I am, and I don't have time to get stronger. There has to be a shortcut."

"Becoming a scourge is the only shortcut in this game, Mac." Shiftie said, his voice giving out a warning. "Be patient. Train diligently. Explore your powers. That is the only way you're going to get anything done correctly." Shiftie sighed, "And most importantly, do not push your limits; particularly since you have an artificial catalyst."

I sighed, and turned to leave.

"Have you ever tried meditating?" came his voice from over my shoulder. I blinked as the words registered.

"Excuse me?" I replied, turning around.

"You heard me. Have you ever tried meditating?" came the question again.

I blinked again, before narrowing my eyes, "Well… no. I haven't. Does it actually work?" I asked, skeptical of this whole suggestion.

"Depends on the person." Shiftie answered, shrugging his shoulders, "It's a calming way to be able to think things out. I think us powered ones have an easier time with it than normies. Our power is kind of like… a _catalyst _into our own minds. It helps us focus." He said, smiling slightly at his own pun.

"Give it a shot sometime. I can't guarantee that it'll work, but it's a relaxing habit to get into, if nothing else. Focus on your catalyst while meditating. Try and…" Shiftie grasped for words, trying to get his point across, "Try and get a 'feel' for it, I guess. Become familiar with it." Shiftie looked me in the eye, "You have to promise that you won't try and open it, though. _Especially _if you are alone."

I nodded, mumbling out a quiet, "I promise" as he closed the door to his car, my mind tumbling over the information.

"Good. You may get something out of it, you may not. Again, it couldn't possibly hurt to try."

Shiftie started his car and backed out, driving out of the warehouse lot. I smiled to myself as he stuck his head out the window to get a good look at the mysterious new gargantuan tree that had appeared next to the warehouse.

"How are you going to get me there?" came a voice from the roof of the warehouse. I was utterly unsurprised to see that Mac had followed me.

"I don't know. We'll sneak you in the trunk or something." I said, silently laughing at the idea.

He scoffed, "Whatever gets me there. I just really hope that that isn't the only option."

I rolled my eyes and walked back inside. I was still contemplating whether I'd bring him at all, let alone which seat he'd be riding in.

A head of dark brown hair greeted me as I walked back through the portal. Calypso was smiling innocently as she fingered a knife. "You know, Mac… it's been a little while since we've had a spar."

I groaned, "Do I have to?"

"Yes, actually. You two will be my subordinates while we're in Kansas. I need to know exactly what you can do, and how effectively you can do it." She said, indicating behind her, where I saw Brandy standing somewhat nervously.

"Oh come on, Calypso. You know exactly wha-" I was cut off as her fist lashed out, slamming into my forearm as I protected my face. I was given no more time to protest as she disappeared in a blur of speed, and I was only barely able to turn around in time to block the kick aimed at the back of my knee.

Her other foot came up, catching me in the underside of my chin, causing me to flinch. Sufficiently pissed now, I kicked out with my own foot. Calypso grinned as she twirled around my kick, lightly flicking my ankle. "Gotta do better than that!" she teased, disappearing again.

The next kick came from behind again, causing me to drop flat to the ground as it whistled over my head. Flipping over, I kicked out at her, my foot almost clipping her thigh that time. She whistled and flipped backwards, grinning. "You've gotten faster. Very good." She grinned wider, whipping out her knives, "Let's up the stakes a little… don't hold back if you don't want to go home bleeding…" her voice trailed off as I watched her body morph into the shadows, altogether disappearing.

I knew better than to rely on my natural senses. Calypso had long mastered the ability to render those useless. I spread my power out across the ground, every blade of grass becoming a sensitive tripwire. I could feel every movement, every bug, every rodent… the feeling of grass absorbing the energy of the sun…

I whipped around as soon as I felt the slightest disturbance behind me, my hand tapering off into a sharp point. My arm lashed out in a quick jab, the point cutting through the air. I raised my other arm just in time to catch the sharp metallic instrument of death as it attempted to slice through the skin of my outstretched arm; metal grinded against bark as I heard her give off a small gasp of surprise.

Calypso's body became visible through the extended contact, her face twisted into an amusing grin. "You have definitely gotten better…" her voice trailed off again.

"…but I'm afraid that isn't good enough." My breath hitched as another blade rested itself against my neck, the Calypso in front of me disappearing in a swirl of shadows.

Calypso giggled as she playfully flicked my ear, retracting the knife. "You've gotten better, but not quite caught up to me, yet. If you keep advancing at this rate, you could probably match me in a fight within the next couple of years."

I sighed and rubbed my neck, stretching. "Meh. It's not fast enough."

She giggled again, "It's more than fast enough. Some would consider it cheating. Had I been less skilled, you would have impaled me with that little jab." She said, pointing to my now-reverted hand.

"What about her?" I said, jabbing my finger towards Brandy. "You gonna test her?"

Calypso smiled, "I've already tested her several times. She's more than capable of coming on the mission. She almost beat me in one of our fights. It was very close."

I raised an eyebrow at that, glancing back towards Brandy who looked away, blushing somewhat. I knew Brandy was strong… but I didn't know that she outclassed me to such a degree. I suppose it made sense, though. She's had her catalyst more than three times as long as I have. A gap in power would be expected.

Sighing, I rubbed the back of my head again, "Well okay then. What do you want us to bring for the mission?"

Calypso shrugged, "Whatever you want. The only thing I need there is you, so anything else is left up to your discretion."

I just sighed for the millionth time that day, rubbing my temples. It had indeed been a long day.

* * *

**(Author's note:) Okay folks. There you have it. Chapter 21. A lot of people have been pestering me to make emphasis on splitting up dialogue between paragraphs… so there you have it. If you guys like it better that way, then I have absolutely no problem writing it like that. I just hate writing one line paragraphs, and that's undoubtedly what a lot of them will turn into.**

**Hope you guys liked the chapter. Chapter 22 might take awhile. This one took longer than usual because I'm in the middle of a lull in regards to the story. It'll be some time before any actual action, and I'm bad at writing plot-related dialogue to push along the story. I'm also kind of drifting into that whole 'no inspiration to write' phase, but it's not too bad. I just can't push out 6,000 words in a day like I can if I'm actually motivated to. I've spent the last two weeks putting out like 2,000 words a week. It was definitely slow going on this chapter. Well, except for the last 1,500 words or so which I managed to throw in today.**

**As always, read and review.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Focus**

**(Author's note:) He guys. This is chapter 22 of Changes. I really hope you enjoy, because it's like 1 A.M. right now, and I stayed up way too late finishing this.**

* * *

"He _what?_"Rufus all but hissed, his eyebrows nearly lifting off of his forehead. "How _dare _he go behind Arthas' back in such a manner! Does he have any idea what kind of consequences this could result in?" the short man demanded, pacing slightly.

"He's out for a personal revenge. Drake did the same thing. We should be about used to this by now." Jack said from beside him, quirking an eyebrow at the shorter man.

"Drake was _competent_!" Rufus retorted, pointing a finger in an arbitrary direction to indicate Ben, "That boy is just that; a _boy_!" the man looked like he was about to burst. "He has no idea what he's doing, and his inexperience is going to get us all killed!"

Jade rolled her eyes, crossing her legs. "The druid isn't _that_ strong, Rufus. He certainly can't take any of us 1 on 1." She glanced at the clock briefly, "He may be able to beat Ben, but even still; this is our turf. We have the advantage here."

"That aside," interrupted Jamie, who was sitting next to her, "I do not think that the druid would be able to beat Ben in an all-out fight."

"Oh?" Said Jack, a small smile on his lips. "From what I recall of your report, he beat both Ben _and_ Drake in an all-out fight."

Jamie glanced at the lanky man, "No. There was something off with that fight. Firstly" she said, ticking off a finger, "He should not be capable of opening his catalyst. He is far too young." She paused, letting that sink in, "Secondly, his power with his catalyst open was not proportional at _all _to his power without it open." She sighed, "His catalyst can't be natural. A natural catalyst would not have opened in that fight and it certainly wouldn't have given him that much power." Jamie tapped her chin, "I do not think he would intentionally risk breaking his own catalyst, however."

Rufus narrowed his eyes before speaking, "Just how powerful was he during this little outburst?"

Jade coughed, answering for her sister, "At the peak of the fight, he could have fought any of us on fair footing, if only for a couple of minutes." She murmured, "After he killed Drake however, the power began to decay his body. He became weaker."

Jack whistled, tilting back in his chair. "And so you two think he has an artificial catalyst because of this?"

Jamie nodded, "There's simply no way that the difference in his power should be that large. A natural catalyst develops in proportion to the body it inhabits, so the difference in power is _always _proportional. This was a leap in power that would take years to accumulate." She bit her lip, looking nervous, "I am certain that it's an artificial catalyst. I am also certain that whoever made the catalyst would have had to be extremely powerful."

An uncomfortable silence filled the room.

Jack decided to break it, straightening up in his chair. "That begs the question then; what exactly do we do with him?"

"Well the answer is obvious!" Rufus said, standing up. "We turn him or kill him. Those are our only two options with a threat like this."

The door closed suddenly, making everyone jump as the large form of Dawkis sat down in the only available chair. "You are forgetting something, Rufus." Dawkis said, apparently already having knowledge of previously discussed events. "With a catalyst like that, the boy will quickly become powerful. However…" Dawkis paused, looking out the window, "He will not become so powerful that he can take on all five of us at once." The large man smiled, "We wait for him to become powerful, and then we turn him into a scourge."

Rufus snorted at the much larger man, "Why wait at all? We can be done with the problem before it _becomes _a problem!" he said, glaring.

"Time is of the essence, Rufus." Dawkis replied, "As a scourge, he will not advance in power nearly as fast as he would normally. We need power quickly."

Rufus scowled, but sat back down.

"I think we've all gotten a little off-topic." Jack said, glancing out the window. "Ben has a girl tied to a chair in his office. Do we allow him to lure the druid to New York?"

Dawkis smiled again, "I think we can use this, actually. This ties in largely to the speculative information we've obtained about the Washington group who we've recently discovered, that the druid is a part of."

Jack quirked an eyebrow, "Speculative information, huh? That doesn't sound very solid, Dawkis." He looked like he wanted to say something more, but stopped himself as he heard footsteps outside the door.

The door opened soundlessly, revealing the face of Ben Hanscom as he stepped through the threshold, a folder tucked under his arm.

"Here's the document you requested." Ben said blandly as he dumped the folder in front of Dawkis, before propping up on the windowsill that he was so fond of sitting on.

Rufus glared at Ben, clearly wanting to lecture the younger scourge, but he held it back.

"Ben…" Dawkis started, glancing at the young man in question. "How certain are you that the druid will come for the girl?"

Ben glanced at Jade, who only shrugged her shoulders. "I know he'll come. There's simply no way that he won't."

Dawkis nodded, propping his chin on his hand, "And do you think he would act rationally to save her?" he asked, but spoke again as he noticed Ben's confused expression, "In other words, do you think that he would make an irrational decision in order to save her?"

Ben blinked, before struggling for an answer, "W-well… yeah… I suppose that he might… if it came to it."

Dawkis just nodded again, before sighing, "The reason I called this meeting, is that I have reason to believe that the Austin facility will be attacked."

A few scattered outbursts of surprise flew around the room. "And why do you think this?" asked Rufus, his voice clearly alarmed.

"We have successively pushed back the group of non-scourge in Kansas for the past few years. They don't have enough people to overwhelm our forces." Dawkis elaborated, "Earlier this summer, our facility in Los Angeles was destroyed. All pressure on the Northern group is essentially gone."

Jamie's eyes narrowed, "They have the opportunity to attack."

"Bingo." Dawkis replied, "Even just a few more powered ones fighting against us could turn the tables in Kansas. We do not have the means to fight that entire force right now."

Ben spoke up, clearing his throat to get attention, "Why don't you five go?"

"Because…" Dawkis said, pausing as he glanced out the window, "There are forces aimed towards crushing the New York facility that we have to address directly. That's all I'm allowed to tell you, Ben. If you want some clarification, you have to go to Arthas about it."

Jack nodded, "Alright, so how does Ben's little girlfriend tie in to us repelling the attack on the Kansas group?" Ben twitched at the implication.

"It's a gamble." Dawkis said, leaning back slightly. "It all depends on whether or not they actually help the Kansas group, and whether or not the druid comes to help."

Jade rubbed her temples, "I still don't understand. How does the girl help us at all?"

"We move her to the Austin facility with Ben." Dawkis started, glancing at the boy in question, "Then we make it known that she is there. If the druid is with them, then I believe that he will act in an attempt to get her out of the facility."

"But we don't know that the druid will be present." Jamie stated.

Dawkis nodded, "That is true. Like I said, it's a gamble." He sat up in his chair, coughing slightly. "However, we have nothing to lose in this gamble. If the facility falls, then we lose everything anyway."

Ben got up from his spot, headed towards the door. "If that's all, Dawkis, then I will be heading back to my office. I'll meet the druid in Austin." He paused, glancing at the larger man, "Would it be smarter to not bring the girl? In case I lose?"

Dawkis shook his head. "Bring the girl. I have a feeling that they'll be able to tell if she's actually there or not. We want the druid to slip-up when he tries to rescue her. He won't have his head on straight."

Ben nodded, "What if he shows up here, when I'm gone? Will you capture him?"

"As far as I'm concerned, it is none of my business." Dawkis said, getting up. "If he shows up here, then that means he won't be with the Kansas group, and therefore none of my concern."

Ben glanced at the others. "Don't touch him. Kick him in my direction if you have to, but do not capture or kill him."

Rufus looked like he was going to attack the younger scourge, but he controlled himself. "A threat to Arthas is a threat to me. I will defend myself if I see him as potentially dangerous." The short man snarled, getting up roughly and throwing on his jacket. He then proceeded to storm out of the room, prompting the taller man to do the same.

"Head out as soon as you can, Ben." Dawkis said as he turned towards the door. "Be careful."

Dawkis left quickly, followed by Jack and the twins. Jade gave Ben one last glance before disappearing around the corner, causing Ben to sigh.

"Well, better enjoy the rest of my peaceful little rest period." Ben groaned as he stumbled out the door, headed back towards his office.

* * *

I had never meditated before.

Meditation had just never seemed to be a thing I needed. I was always a really laid-back individual, so I didn't see it as a priority. These thoughts kept circling through my mind as I sat on the edge of my bed, glancing at the floor.

Sighing, and leaned back on the bed, propping my back up against the wall, trying to find as comfortable of a position as I could. What was I supposed to expect from this? New insight on my abilities? More power? What exactly did I have to gain from feeling like an idiot like this?

I took in a deep breath, trying to relax myself. My chest heaved in and out, pushing air through my lungs in a slow, rhythmic pattern.

Was I doing it correctly? I certainly didn't feel any different.

I sighed again and opened my eyes, groaning and stretching slightly. I had been sitting here for almost 45 minutes. I could not for the life of me do anything that made me feel remotely different.

The phone rang in the hall, causing me to jump.

My mother and sister had gone down to California with some friends of my sister's for a little vacation. They had left while I was out, and due to the fact that I was supposed to be going on a camping trip soon, had never asked if I wanted to go. In other words, I had the house to myself. I really, really enjoyed that.

I stretched and strolled over, picking up the phone and setting the earpiece near my ear, "Hello?" I answered, putting on my best uncaring voice.

"_You are terrible at clearing your mind._" Came a voice that I knew all too well.

"Nice to hear from you too, Shelby. How have you been?" I responded, ignoring her comment.

"_You need to meditate, right? I'll be over in about… 15 minutes to help._" She said.

I just blinked, before rubbing my temples, "Okay, fine. Are you sure that you don't want to discuss what happened?" I responded again, trying to get her thoughts on the incident with Ben.

"_It's not a big deal. I'm alive. You're alive. Your friends gave me a brief summary of what happened, anyways." _she replied.

"Okay. Get over here then if you insist on helping. Just make sure that you have a ride back this time." I replied, possibly more harshly than intended as I slammed the phone down.

Groaning, I got up and walked outside, looking around for Mac. In the past two days, he had taken a liking to sleeping outside. He said that my house was 'creepy', and that he enjoyed my dog's company more than mine.

"I heard the conversation for the most part." I heard his voice float down from the roof. "You want me to stay out of sight?"

There was really no point. Shelby already knew about him. "Yes. Don't interfere." That did not mean, however, that I wouldn't take every opportunity to not be in his presence. He was a decent guy, but that didn't mean that I had to like him yet.

About 20 minutes later I heard the car pull up as I finished draining my cup of coffee. My suspicions grew as the engine shut off, and only one door closed.

"Yes, I got my license." She said as she opened my door, letting herself in. "It seemed to be… a necessity."

I nodded, gesturing to the other couch. She sat down next to me, in an attempt to annoy me. She used to love to contradict me in any way possible.

Shelby smiled and patted my shoulder. "I… know about what's happening with the girl from California, obviously." She said, causing me to tense up. I kept forgetting about that little quirk. "I think it'll be fine, Mac." She said, trying to reassure me "You haven't had a problem with rescuing people so far. I don't see why this would be different."

I waved my hand, "Whatever. Like I've said to numerous other people before, I'll fix it." I wanted to keep away from this subject while Mac was listening.

She nodded, understanding. "Alright… so you want to be able to meditate." It was not a question. "You think it will help with… analyzing your power or something. Is that correct?"

"It's possible. At this point, I'm looking towards any kind of help." I mumbled, fidgeting.

She smiled, "Okay, well, you may or may not remember, but I was really into the spiritual stuff when we were dating, and meditating kind of overlapped from that. It's really good for stress." She said. I indeed did remember her focusing on a lot of… interesting things. Meditation was one of the less interesting ones.

She coughed into her hand, interrupting my train of thought, "When you were trying it before, you were essentially fucking up the most important part. You were relaxing your body, but you were not clearing your mind." She explained, poking my forehead. "That needs to be blank when you meditate. You need to pick something… rhythmic, like your breathing, and completely focus on it. Don't sit there worrying about everything."

"Soo…" I started, "I just… clear my mind? Focus on my breathing? That's what I was doing wrong?"

She shrugged, "If you were expecting something to happen, then that's probably where the problem was. You may have been experiencing it as well as you can, though. It's… complicated."

I frowned, "Well… I suppose I can try again." I paused, glancing around, "Do you know… like… what I should feel or…?"

She gave me an exasperated look. "I'm teaching you to meditate, not have sex;" she said, causing my ears to twitch as a heard a muffled snort from somewhere outside, "I can't teach you exactly what it will be like."

I knew I was blushing. The smug little grin she had on her face told me everything.

"Just shut up." I mumbled, straightening into a more comfortable position. "Just keep your fat mouth shut, and I won't have to shut it for you."

She flicked my forehead, a frown on her face, "Jerk. Just try it."

I sighed and closed my eyes, relaxing my body as much as I could. My breathing came in slow, steady breaths as my body continued to get lazier and lazier. After about 45 seconds of this, it felt like my body was going to melt into the couch.

"Your mind still isn't blank." She said, speaking softly. "Make sure to not focus on anything other than you breathing. Don't let your thoughts wander."

My breath came in and out… slower and slower… going in the same rhythmic pattern.

I became vaguely aware of something else as I focused on my breathing. It was like it was another rhythmic pattern, on the peripheral vision of my consciousness, so to speak. It was a very subtle pattern, almost completely hidden beneath the feeling of my breathing and my heartbeat, but it was certainly there.

It was almost like a pulsing… a deep, ancient rhythm that circulated throughout my body. Giving me power…

Shelby's low gasp caused me to jump, essentially breaking my concentration. I sucked in a quick breath as I grasped my now racing heart, staring at Shelby. "D-damn it…" I muttered, trying to calm down. "I almost had something there."

"Y-yeah…" Shelby said, her eyes wide in disbelief. "What was that?"

"I'm not entirely sure. If I had to guess…" my hand traveled over my abdomen, my fingers lightly brushing my old scar. Did my catalyst have some kind of… heartbeat?

"Only one way to find out." Shelby's voice was low, laced with worry. She was also excited though, that much I could easily tell.

I nodded and smiled, getting back into my comfortable position before restarting the relaxing process.

My mind became blank once more, before once again discovering that very subtle rhythm. It traveled throughout my entire being, lightly echoing throughout my entire body. I could follow it as the pulses echoed through my body, feel it race through my veins; each pulse bringing a new burst of energy that would normally be too subtle to feel. Before long it became uncomfortable to sit still, but I forced my body stay immobile.

Every pulse originated from the core of my body; below my heart and lungs. I could feel my catalyst as it pulsed loudly now, easily drowning out the feeling of my heartbeat and breathing.

I could feel the power as it coursed wildly from the catalyst; waves of energy flowing out from an infinitely huge dam.

I suddenly felt very small as I felt my catalyst. I could feel the power hidden within much more clearly than I had ever been able to before. It felt very much like standing next to a very small dam that held back an entire ocean.

Using my own power, I began exploring my catalyst. My new clarity allowed me to see the pod in a whole new light.

My power very gently coursed across the gorge that ran along my catalyst, signifying the portion of it that had been absorbed during my fight with Ben and Drake. I gulped as I felt a very small leak traveling along the bottom of the gorge. It was insignificant, really; barely letting out enough for me to feel. So little in fact, that even Stitches had not been able to detect it when he examined my catalyst.

Shiftie's words traveled ominously to the front of my mind as the fingers of my power gripped at the edges of the leak. "_You have to promise that you won't try and open it, though"_ Well, technically I'm not alone.

Very gently I began prying open the leak. The output of energy seemed to double with every second that I took widening the very slim crack in my catalyst.

The energy began coursing wildly through my body. I became aware of the fact that it was becoming extremely difficult to continue sitting still. My catalyst gave off a reverberating '_crack_' as I pulled it open more, letting loose a floodgate of energy through my body.

The urge to giggle hysterically was bubbling up in me as I felt the waves of power coursing through my body, sky-rocketing my perception. I could feel my muscles ripple as my power coursed over them, and my eyes snapped open as I lifted myself off the couch, my eyes widening as a short, hysteric laugh escaped my lips.

My mind flashed through various gruesome scenarios; me crushing Drake's throat… murdering the security guards at the Seattle outpost… killing Shae…

A cackle escaped my lips now, my hands clenching into fists as the maddening power coursed through my body.

"Stop!"

I grinned wickedly, turning around so I could brutally murder the person who would stop me from having my fun.

I stopped dead as I saw the terrified face of Shelby Stanford. She was backed up against the opposite wall, her eyes wide in terror, tears streaming down her cheeks. I grimaced and sank to one knee as a ripping pain traveled through my abdomen. I groaned and grinded my teeth as I fell on my side, trying to hold in a scream.

My power began swirling erratically inside my body. I could feel it ripping things, destroying cells. I bit my lip and tried to concentrate as I forcefully began pushing my power inwards. I began concentrating my power around my catalyst, grinding my teeth together painfully as I tried to close the gap.

Very slowly the leak began to close, the gap becoming smaller and smaller as I forcefully pushed the sides of the catalyst together.

A low, ominous chuckle echoed through my mind as the catalyst finally closed.

I greedily sucked air into my burning lungs, as I remembered to breathe. I coughed as my hand rested over my erratically beating heart.

"M-Mac?" came Shelby's timid voice from the corner. I sighed and coughed again, trying to express through thoughts that I was okay.

"I-I'm not dead." I groaned out, trying to get up.

Shelby sniffled and popped her head over the couch, quickly composing herself and rushing over to where I was lying. I groaned again as a pulse of pain rocked through my abdomen. Power tenderly explored the pained areas, relieving the pain and healing as best as it could. I could see that Shelby was still concerned as she sat next to me.

"A-are you okay?" she asked, lightly rubbing my forehead. I smiled and nodded, picking myself up as I felt most of the damage undone. I decided to just crash on the couch for now, moaning as an untreated wound made itself known to my pain receptors.

Shelby looked worried still, her eyebrows knitted in concentration. "M-Mac… one thing that I can't explain from your thoughts…" she started, clearly concentrating, "Y-you heard a laugh… like a chuckle, right before you closed your catalyst. I didn't hear it, so I think we can probably assume that it came from inside you."

Her argument was a little flawed. I could definitely hear much better than she could. However, she was right. I knew for certain that the ominous laughter had come from inside me; inside my catalyst. I would definitely have to talk to Stitches about that little detail… after I got back. I wasn't prepared to compromise my eligibility for the mission, when it was already shaky at best.

"I… I don't know what it is." I said, putting on a serious face. "I want you to keep quiet about it, though. Stitches will take me off the mission if he finds out."

She sighed and got up, "Look… just be careful, alright? I have to share your head. I don't want to have to witness you getting hurt anymore." She said, sniffling slightly. "it gets really old feeling that kind of pain from one of your friends."

I lightly patted her arm, coughing slightly. "I'm sorry, Shelby. I can't promise you anything." I said, giving her a weak smile. "However, I will do my absolute best to not get hurt."

Shelby smiled back, before glancing at the floor. "And… please promise me that you won't open your catalyst like that again." She pleaded, looking at me.

"You know that I can't promise that." I replied.

She sniffed again, and nodded. "Can't blame me for trying, you idiot." She mumbled, heading towards the door. She gave me a worried look as she opened the door, locking eyes with me.

"You turned into a monster, Mac. I was scared for my life."

My eyes widened as she closed the door behind her, not allowing me to reply to what she said. My driveway lit up as she backed out. Headlights flashed through the living room as she turned, speeding down the road and out of sight.

* * *

**(Author's note:) Alright guys. I really have to apologize for this chapter. It came in a relatively short period of time… but it just seems really badly written. Not necessarily rushed, just poorly thrown together.**

**Anyways, that chapter had to happen. It's pretty much filler meant to introduce a new twist to the plot, and a new concept that I will be experimenting with later in the arc. Hope you guys enjoyed.**

**Also, some of you have 'approached' me about submitting OC's for the story. If you have an OC that you would like to have entered into the story, then by all means, submit one. For my sake, I would prefer that you don't go too specific in what you need to happen with the OC. The more specific you go, the less inclined I will be to use it; I need some flexibility.**

**I need you to tell me what the OC's personality is like, what 'class' you would like them to portray, (though I would like to stay away from druid's for now. Also, Death Knights are scourge for all intents and purposes of this story… so that should be fairly obvious where they would go. If you need it to be a druid, then go ahead and submit it anyways.) and what kind of weapon (if any) that you would prefer that they use. I'd also like a little bit of background on the OC, and where he is currently 'employed', so to speak(Which side he/she's on).**

**Also, keep in mind that this is a modern society where blending-in is important. Needless to say, suits of armor would stand out.**

**As always, read and review.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: Detour**

**Yo, guys. So, it's been a long, long, long, long time since I've updated. I do apologize for that. I'll try to update more often, but no promises.**

**I'd like to give a huge, huge shout-out to CaptainPrice, who has not only been a very loyal reviewer, but has directed readers to my story, and even gets credit for the OC who will make two appearances in this chapter. You should all thank him. :D**

* * *

I had always been a light sleeper. Prior to the accident, it wouldn't take much to wake me up; afterwards, even something as out of place as a floorboard creaking could wake me up. Naturally, a car door slamming shut just outside my house would have me out of bed immediately.

Gently opening the blinds, I peered outside. My mother's car was still missing, and in its place was a silver sedan; it looked rather new. I heard the slow creak of the front door opening, despite the fact that I knew I had locked it.

I placed myself just around the corner in the hall connecting to the living room, waiting…

The quiet creak of the nearby floorboard in my living room sent me into motion. I spun around the corner, my fist lashing out at whoever had broken into my house. A tinkling laugh floated by my ear, before a hand grabbed my wrist and twisted it around my back. A foot lashed out at the back of my knees, forcing me down to the floor, my face grinding against the floorboards.

"Well hello, Mac." Calypso said, her voice smug as she sat on my back, keeping my arm in place.

I groaned, "Hi, Calypso. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Ohh… not much. Stitches wants us to leave, though. Get your luggage." She chirped as she hopped off of my back. I sighed and pushed myself up off of the floor, rolling my arm and groaning.

"Did you really have to nearly dislocate my shoulder, you little twerp?" I grumbled, rubbing my shoulder.

"Nope!" was all she chimed as she skipped out the door.

I just shook my head and went to grab my bag, idly wondering how I was going to get Mac into that car.

"She's scary." Came the person in question's voice from behind me.

I smirked, "Yep. Scary is definitely her thing." I said as I hefted my bag up, yawning. "I'm going to slip you into the trunk. I don't know if I can keep you hidden the whole way, but this is as good as I can do." I sighed and glanced upwards. "I want you to go out the back door. Get up onto the roof of the house, and jump to the carport. You should be able to jump down right behind the car."

He nodded, "You're sure that she won't be able to see me?"

"Positive," I replied, "Just remember to jump down only after I put the trunk up. The back window will be blocked, so you'll be free to get into the trunk without being seen."

He nodded again and rushed towards the back door, wasting no time. I sighed heavily and dragged my bag out the door.

The sun was barely peaking over the eastern mountains when I left the house. I groaned and squinted, the bright rays of light nearly blinding me. I noticed a small blur leap the gap between the house and the carport, landing on the other side without a sound.

I sat my bag down behind the car, walking up to the driver's side. Calypso had the window rolled down, and she smiled at me. "Wanna pop the trunk, Calypso?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

"There's plenty of room in the back, Mac." She said, smiling at me innocently. I just shook my head.

"We're taking Brandy, aren't we? She's gonna have luggage as well. One of us is going to be loading crap into the back. Might as well be me." I said, trying to muffle a yawn.

Calypso just gave me an innocent smile and popped the trunk, "If you insist, Mac."

I stretched and walked back, pushing the trunk up all the way. I smiled, noting that there would be plenty of room for Mac. He landed behind me without a sound, lightly lowering himself into the trunk. I gave him a thumbs-up and put my bag in after him, covering part of him. I had loaded my bag with food. If he got hungry or thirsty enough, he would find it.

Slamming the trunk down, I sighed and walked around to the passenger's side. The one thing that always bugged me about Calypso was how difficult it was to know what she was thinking. A bright smile greeted me as I ducked into her sedan. If she knew, then I would never find out until she told me.

"You should consider getting an apartment." She said casually as she pulled out of the driveway, shooting down the street.

"Already considered it. Can't get one of those until I have income of some sort." I mumbled, staring blankly out the window. The trees were blurring by as we sped down the highway, approaching Brandy's place of residence.

Calypso smiled and glanced over, "You could always ask Stitches. He may be able to work out a deal with the organization."

"A deal?" I asked, intrigued.

"Yep. If it's determined that financial difficulties are keeping you from performing optimally, then they can set up a fund for you to live off." She replied, pulling off of the highway. "In your case, you could ask for a fund for an apartment, since your living situation isn't particularly ideal."

"Where would this money come from?" I questioned, hesitantly considering the debt that this would give me.

"Depends. There's a series of accounts that the organization uses for emergencies… but in your case, they may just have Ian or Isaac pay your bills. The two are both surgeons, and as such, make a lot of money." She answered, stopping the car in front of Brandy's house. "Now, go wake up sleeping beauty. We need to go."

A soft 'pop' came from behind the car, and the trunk was lifted. Glancing out the back window, I raised an eyebrow as Brandy slammed the trunk down, a disgruntled look on her face as she ripped open the back door, tossing her luggage in as she climbed inside.

A short silence occurred as I stared at the girl, who only stared back. "What?" she demanded, crossing her arms. "I'm not a morning person."

"Evidently." I mumbled, idly wondering what her reaction had been to seeing Mac in the trunk.

"Good morning to you too, Brandy." Calypso chirped, backing the car out of the driveway, and back onto the highway.

Brandy just nodded, staring out the window.

"Now, as I was saying, you could easily have the organization support an apartment until you were able to pay for one yourself." Calypso continued, smiling.

I nodded, the idea sounded appealing. I'd have to bring it up with Stitches.

"Mac's getting an apartment?" Brandy asked, somewhat surprised.

"Mmhmm." I answered, "Living at home isn't particularly ideal."

Brandy smiled a little, glancing back at her house as we pulled away. "I understand what you mean. Though, I think it'd be awfully lonely without Kendra running around."

I nodded, understanding what she was saying, though I didn't think it would bother me much. I'd always been a bit anti-social, so living alone probably wouldn't be a big deal. Learning how to do laundry might be a bit of a chore, though…

I blinked, noticing the direction we were going, and the looming mountains up ahead.

"We're going through the Pass?" I asked Calypso, who gave me a nod in return.

"Normally I'd head south first, and then east from Oregon or California, but considering the fact that Grahoth's group has been pushed so far north, it would be monumentally safer to approach their location from the northern-most direction." She said, the mountains looming ahead as we passed through the town of Marblemount.

The 'Pass' as it was called around here is the only connection between Eastern and Western Washington which is divided by the Cascade mountains, and is the only way through said mountains without going way south.

It was normally closed during the winter, due to the large amounts of snowfall that the mountains receive, making the pass, well… unpassable.

Luckily, it was still mid-August, meaning that the pass would still be open for another few weeks.

"Do I have to ride all the way there?" I asked.

Calypso raised a brow, glancing at me with an intrigued expression. "Well, no… any particular reason why you'd want to cross the pass alone?"

I shrugged. I didn't actually have a reason. I just didn't like long car rides.

The Rogue sighed, glancing at the approaching mountain range. "Fine, fine. Just don't get lost." She responded quickly. "We're going to be stopping in Omak for the night, so meet us there. If you don't make it in time for whatever reason, then we'll take the main road straight south until we hit I-90. After that, we follow the highway east until we hit Spokane."

I nodded, pulling up my mental-map of eastern Washington. "Got it. If by some chance I don't meet up with you guys by the time you get to Spokane…" I left the question hanging, gauging her response.

"We'll wait in Spokane for twenty-four hours for you." She responded curtly. "If you're not there by then, we'll have no choice but to head on without you. You know where we're going, though, and should be able to find the way yourself." Calypso stated, pausing. "… though I would prefer it if you just meet us in Omak." She finished, smiling.

Smirking, I glanced out the window. We were getting ready to pass over the bridge that crossed the ravine near Gorge Lake. I always liked being flashy.

I glanced behind us. There wasn't a terrible amount of traffic, but there were a few cars behind us; most likely tourists heading over the pass for the summer.

"I'm getting out." I announced, shocking the two other people in the car. We were now crossing the bridge.

"What!" Brandy yelled, glancing out the window. "Are you fucking insane?"

"Nope." I answered, opening the door slightly as I squeezed out, pulling myself onto the roof of the sedan as I steadied myself, glancing into the ravine. "Just bored."

I heard Calypso's sigh of annoyance as I stood up on the roof, the wind blowing through my hair as I tried to keep my balance. "If I find any dents on my roof, you're going to lose a finger."

Chuckling to myself, I glanced at the cars behind us. I couldn't see their faces clearly, but their looks of shock were no-doubt present. I gave them a quick, cheeky salute before doing a quick leap off of the roof of the sedan, hurtling myself over the ledge of the railing of the bridge and into the deep ravine.

The howling wind whistled in my ears, and my growing anxiety prompted me to begin the change in advance, my bones hollowing as my descent began to slow considerably.

Feathers burst forth as I fanned out my wings, angling myself upwards slowly as I approached the small river that runs into Gorge Lake. Mist sprayed upwards as I leveled myself out, shooting out across the lake at speeds that no normal bird could hope to achieve, my wing-tip skimming across the top of the lake.

A powerful burst of strength from my wings propelled me upwards, bringing me level with the highway as it trailed lazily along the edge of the lake. Spotting the glint of silver, I swooped in low, smiling to myself as I caught the eye of Brandy, who still looked like she was somewhat in shock. She shot me a look that promised pain as Calypso laughed at her expense.

Looking back, I noticed that all traffic had disappeared from behind the sedan. Judging from the crowded-looking bridge in the distance, it would appear that everyone had stopped to see what had happened to me.

I did a quick twirl in the air, angling my wings towards the looming mountains. This would be a fun trip.

* * *

A slick, black potiac GTO judge pulled up to the side of the bridge, stopping near the crowd of parked cars, where a crowd of people were talking rapidly, some of them yapping on their cellphones over the recent event that had just been witnessed by them all.

The driver's side door open, allowing a dark brown boot to step firmly onto the pavement. A man stepped out of the car, his shaggy brown hair covering his green eyes as he stepped to the edge of the bridge where he had seen a teenager jump from the roof of a sedan not moments ago.

"Tch. The dumbass jumped, huh?" he asked nobody in particular, the rhythmic ticking of his military watch filling the silence as his sharp eyes peered into the ravine. A hint of movement caught his attention, his eyes fixating on the rapid form of a large bird that was currently skating across the top of the lake. He watched in interest as the bird pulled away from the lake, flying up to where the highway traced its way around the body of water, and began hovering level with the same silver sedan he had watched the boy jump from.

A smirk came to the man's face, the dogtags hanging from his neck jingling a little as he pulled out his phone, before hitting the number 2 on his speed dial.

"Hey Grahoth. Yep, he sent some people." He talked quickly into the phone, looking around himself in a paranoid manner. "Did you really need me to confirm this? Invy and Atek haven't lied to you before, you know."

"Y-Yeah. Well yeah, I know that girl is involved, but I don't think Invy would betray you over-…" the man paused, listening to the phone in rapt attention before sighing.

"Yeah, I get it. Anyways, they're on their way. They sent the druid." He muttered into the phone. "Yeah, the one with the artificial catalyst."

"Got it. Rabbit out." With that, he clicked the phone shut, his eyes flicking around him once more as he stepped back into his car, pulling away from the bridge as he sighed. What a day.

* * *

The frozen wind whipped through my feathers as I soared high above the mountains. Even in the middle of summer, it was still cold as hell up here.

I grunted, my wings feeling heavier with each flap. The fact that there were no warm air currents, as well as the factor of the lower oxygen content in the high altitude air was making this trip more difficult than I had anticipated. I'd have to land soon and take a break.

Angling downwards, I began spiraling to the ground, aiming for a small clearing in the trees.

I gave a sigh of relief as I was able to rest my wings, reverting the transformation as I rubbed my sore arms, shivering violently as a burst of cold air rocked me to my core. It must have been close to 0 degrees up here.

The cold was quickly becoming a problem. My clothing wasn't exactly suited for winter activities.

An idea popped into my head as I wrapped my arms around myself, looking around worriedly as I contemplated the thought. I doubted that there was anyone around, and so long as I stayed away from the highway I shouldn't run into anyone at all, right?

Either way, I didn't want to chance hypothermia, so I began to shift again, my bones becoming heavy, and fur sprouting from my skin as my body bent low, cat-like features replacing my own as the long, shaggy fur began doing its job, warming me up almost immediately as a grumbling growl of relief escaped my jaws.

I looked around warily again. Though it wasn't likely that there was anyone around, I couldn't be too careful. There weren't lions of my variety in this part of the US, and it would almost certainly attract unwanted attention if I was seen. I kept my head low, and continued heading east. I'd have to travel like this until I reached a lower altitude.

Snow and ice crunched under my enormous paws as I trekked onwards, my stomach giving rumbles of disapproval as I noted in annoyance that I hadn't actually eaten today. I glanced up at the sky, hoping to be able to get some idea of what time it was. It was overcast, as usual.

I grumbled, shaking loose the accumulating snow from my head as I ducked beneath some underbrush, my sharp senses immediately noticing the fleeing rabbit as it skipped through the snow. Every instinct I had told me that it was dinner, but I fought off the urge. Even if this body could handle raw meat, I'd still rather not have the thought in my head later.

Traveling this way was tiresome work, but I gradually began to notice the slope as I started to descend, the top of the mountain finally behind me. I began to see signs of green, the constant snow-white of the mountain-top giving way to green foliage.

A clearing was just ahead, and I instinctively bent low as my eyes locked onto something large that was moving across the clearing. It was a large Elk, which was currently grazing on the grass in the clearing.

I narrowed my eyes. It was a very large Elk, and I had no idea how it would react if it saw me. Avoiding it would probably be the best option.

Backing away, I cautiously trekked around the outskirts of the clearing, giving the Elk a wide berth as I stayed low, eyeing the large mammal warily. It didn't seem to have noticed me.

I moved slowly and carefully, treading on the edge of a rather steep incline which went down about 30 feet, trying not to slip, but also trying to keep as far outside of the clearing as I could.

The sound of metal hitting metal echoed softly throughout the clearing. The elk's head lifted, staring directly at my side of the edge of the clearing, and I noticed several things at once.

A man and a woman were hunched down in the bushes right near the clearing. They were both dressed in camouflage gear that blended in seamlessly with the surrounding foliage. The woman was holding a very large rifle, which was currently aimed directly at the elk.

This was bad. This was very bad. If I startled them, they would no doubt shoot me, given my form. Even turning back to my human form was risky.

I took an involuntary step back, giving a growl of surprise as I lost my footing, my claws digging into the shallow snow and soil as my paw slid somewhat down the incline.

The eyes of the girl- who could have been no older than 20- flicked over to where I was, a look of terror flooding across her face. The barrel of the rifle moved rapidly, and the girl shrieked, pulling the trigger right as the barrel stopped moving, pointed straight at me.

The sound of gunpowder igniting violently echoed through the forest, and I let out a growl of disbelief as the bullet tore straight through my shoulder. Pain ripped through my body as the force of the shot pushed me backwards, throwing me off the cliff and down the incline.

Acting on gut instinct, I began the transformation back to my human form, my body tumbling and sliding down the snowy incline as I finished the change, blood spilling everywhere.

I resisted the urge to yell, directing all of my power to my wound, attempting to slow down the bleeding. I lost my concentration as I was slammed forcefully into a tree, causing the wind to be knocked out of me.

I grasped mentally onto the familiar force of my power, my head spinning as the blood loss took its toll. I felt faint, and my vision went in and out of focus as I looked weakly up at the top of the incline. I saw the man and woman standing at the top, their eyes wide as they saw me, covered in blood, lying in this jumbled heap.

The lack of blood finally took its toll, and my eyes closed, my mind being swept away into unconsciousness.

* * *

"-…ich is why I taught you to NOT randomly shoot at everything that moves!" yelled someone. The voice was male, likely in their late thirties or forties.

"I've already told you! I saw what I shot at, and it wasn't the boy lying on that couch!" a new voice, female; probably in her early twenties.

"So what are you proposing, Chelsea? That he magically turned into some kind of 'lion' like you said he did?" the male voice asked, clearly not believe a word the girl said.

"I have no idea what happened, dad… I just know that I didn't shoot him…" the girl's voice was desperate; pleading.

My eyes fluttered open. The ceiling above me was wooden; logs to be precise. There was a large fireplace across the room, projecting shadows everywhere as flames leapt around wildly. I was in an old-fashioned log cabin, lying on a rather uncomfortable wooden couch; comforted only by a few thin cushions.

"Well, the fact of the matter is that we have a boy in our house, who currently has a bullet wound in his shoulder that matches the caliber of my rifle." The male retorted. The voice came from another room, adjacent to mine. "To make matters worse, since what we were doing isn't technically legal, we'll be persecuted to the full extent of the law if he dies, or presses charges."

My eyes flicked to my shoulder. Though it was obvious that I had been shot, the pain was merely a dull throb; uncomfortable, but by no means life-threatening. The wound had been dressed in some slightly-stained bandages, and I had been relieved of my sweatshirt and t-shirt. I spotted them quickly, tossed in a heap at the foot of the couch. They were caked with dried blood; a lot of it.

"I don't think he's going to die… he doesn't have a fever, and his breathing has been steady since we brought him in… if it weren't for the bullet-hole, I'd have a hard time believing he was injured at all." Came the woman's voice again. Tenderly, I massaged my shoulder, wincing a little. It hurt, but the woman's words had some merit. It felt like I had been shot weeks ago… but I hadn't been out that long, right?

I heaved myself upright, groaning as I stretched. Judging from the stiffness in my back and shoulders, I had been out for a while, but not an unusual amount of time. Perhaps twelve hours.

"I'll just check on him really quick…"

I had little time to prepare myself as a shadow loomed on the threshold of the room, before the face of a young girl appeared in the doorway. Though she was dressed differently, it was unmistakably the face of the woman from the clearing.

Bright blue eyes widened, causing a lock of blonde hair to fall out of place, hanging down by her neck as she gasped. "He's awake…"

Another form appeared behind her. A man; the same who was with her in the clearing, stood behind her. He was a very large man with short, scraggly, blonde hair and equally bright, blue eyes.

I heaved myself off the couch, feeling the groan of protest from my shoulder as my two would-be caretakers gasped, rushing over to me.

"Woah, woah there, son… you shouldn't be awake." The man muttered, putting a hand on my uninjured shoulder, trying to push me back down on the couch.

"And yet, I am." I muttered back, shoving off his hand. "I'll be leaving, now. Thanks for shooting me." I walked around him, directing power to my shoulder, trying to assess the damage. Oddly enough, the wound seemed to be completely closed, and was already rapidly healing.

His hand found its way to my shoulder again, and I growled in annoyance as he pulled me back. "I can't allow you to do that, kid. You're in no condition to be leaving… I don't even know how you're standing right now…"

"That's right! We just now got home… it hasn't even been 12 hours since you got shot…" the girl agreed, pushing on me as well.

"Let go of me." I threatened, glancing at the man holding me back, glaring. "Please. I need to be leaving."

The unmistakable sound of the hammer being pulled back on a gun gave me pause, and then cold feeling of steel on my chest made me stop altogether, staring in disbelief at the blonde girl in front of me, who was now holding a pistol to my chest.

"Sit." She ordered, putting pressure on the gun. "I just want to ask you some questions."

"Chelsea… what are you doing?" came the bewildered voice of her father from behind me.

"I know what I saw, dad. You don't believe me, but this boy isn't normal." She said, glaring at me. "I mean, look at what's in front of you! Have you ever seen anyone take a rifle bullet at practically point-blank range, and then be walking around less than a day later!" she demanded, causing me to cuss internally. I'd been too conspicuous.

"So, first you shoot me, and then you hold me hostage?" I asked, my tone light. "So much for manners."

She only glared at me, ignoring her father's disapproving looks.

"Look," I began, trying to negotiate my way around this, "I have places to be. You can either let me go, or I can force my way out." I said, offering the ultimatum. "You're correct. I'm not normal. Do you really want to test just how much it takes to kill me, or do you want to let me go on my merry way?" I threatened, the bluff hanging in the air as I pushed against the barrel of the gun, smirking at the girl.

The girl seemed doubtful, her arm shaking a little.

"Well… I…" she moved the gun slightly, lowering it just a centimeter, which was all I needed.

I spun on my heel, moving myself out of the way of the barrel as I raised my hand, one finger pressing against the barrel of the gun as I tilted it upwards, just in time for the girl to pull the trigger out of surprise.

The shot echoed loudly through the room, causing my ears to ring painfully as I plucked the gun from the girl's hands, blowing air on my finger, which had been burned from the heat of the gun barrel.

"That was dangerous…" I muttered, stuffing the barrel of the gun in my back pocket as I sighed. I glanced up, looking at the fresh hole in the ceiling from the gunshot. "Didn't anyone ever teach you how to treat guests, woman?"

"Chelsea…" the girl's father muttered, glancing at the hole in the ceiling. "I can't believe it… you almost shot someone… twice…"

I glanced at the stunned girl once before turning, scooping up my bloody clothes in one arm, before putting them on, groaning from the scent of dried blood. Just how much had a bled out on these things?

"I'll be taking my leave." I muttered again, tossing the gun across the room. "Don't follow me. Don't tell your friends about me. You never met me."

"That's it, then?" I heard the girl ask as I exited the room, looking for the exit. "Isn't this the part where you agree to stay and rest up, while explaining your circumstance to us?"

"Nope." I replied simply, putting my hand on the doorknob. "It's better if you don't know. Trust me." I ripped off the bandages, giving the scar on my shoulder a passing glance as I smirked, tossing the bandages in the nearby trashcan. "Thanks for the hospitality."

If they said any form of good-bye, I didn't hear it. I shut the door swiftly behind me, glancing around as I surveyed my surroundings. It was night, and I was in the middle of a large, empty field that the house stood in, which was connected to the main road by a single, dusty driveway.

I took off in a sprint, giving my shoulder an experimental flex as I began the change, quickly morphing into my bird form as I leapt into the air, giving my wings a powerful flap as I took off into the night.

I didn't know how on earth I was even alive, let alone able to fly. As far as I knew, nobody else was capable of this kind of rapid regeneration. My cells were reproducing at ridiculous rates, allowing me to recover from an otherwise-fatal gun wound in mere hours. Sure, I could have done the same with my own power had I been conscious, but the fact of the matter was that I had not been conscious.

My sharp eyes spotted the soft glow of civilization on the horizon. I needed to figure out where I was, and how much time I had left before Calypso would be leaving Omak. Knowing her, she'd be leaving early, and it was probably near midnight now… so most likely I'd have around six hours… but that was little more than a rough guess.

It didn't take me long to reach the town. Twenty minutes later and I was sweeping down behind a local diner, reverting the change quickly as I stretched my limbs, casually walking out onto the street.

I glanced around idly, looking for any indication of what town this was. I really wish I had a map…

My stomach grumbled painfully, causing me to groan as I bent over. Shit… how long had it been since I'd eaten? At least twenty-four hours… not to mention how much energy I would have used healing up that wound…

The bright neon signs of the diner drew my attention. I really hadn't been thinking when I'd jumped out of that car. I should have brought some money with me…

I grumbled, glancing around. There weren't many people around… pick-pocketing wasn't really my style, but if it meant getting a hot meal…

Sighing, I turned towards the diner. I probably wouldn't be getting a meal, but at the very least I could get some fucking directions; maybe even a map of some sort.

The diner was almost empty as I walked in. There was a middle-aged woman wearing a waitressing outfit who was cleaning the empty tables, as well as an elderly male who was in the kitchen, on the other side of the window connecting the diner and kitchen, presumably the cook.

The door chimed cheerfully as it closed, and the woman turned to me, obviously surprised to have a customer this late at night. Her eyes widened as she glanced at me, and I cussed as I realized that I was still in my bloody clothing.

"Oh my god…" she muttered as she walked over to me, somewhat wary. "Are… are you okay?"

"Er, yeah, I'm fine… look, I don't really have a lot of time… could you guys tell me what town this is, or do you have some kind of a map...?" I left the question hanging as she studied my clothing.

"This is Brewster, kiddo… but… why are your clothes like that?" she asked, checking to see if I was hurt.

"It's paint." I lied, rubbing the cloth for emphasis, smiling at the woman. "We're re-painting my room, and I'm a fan of this color." I chuckled a little.

"It's amazing that you can just lie to my face like that." She said, quirking a brow. "Paint doesn't smell like that, kiddo." She paused as my eyes narrowed, "But… I don't suppose it's any of my business, anyways. We have tourist maps on the stand over there." She said, pointing to the revolving stand in the corner of the diner.

I had the decency to look ashamed as I turned away, rubbing my shoulder as I walked over to the stand, pulling up a map as I opened it.

The sound of the diner door opening alerted me somewhat, but I mostly ignored it as I studied the map. Brewster was about 30 miles southwest of Omak… easily within traveling distance.

"Yo, ma'am. You guys have any specials around here?" I heard a man ask from behind me as I memorized the path I'd need to take. "I'm just passing through, and I was thinking about grabbing a bite before I hit the sac-… holy shit. What happened to him?"

That question triggered my alarms, and I turned around, my eyes taking in the appearance of a man who was standing in the doorway. He was around my height, perhaps an inch or two taller, with shaggy brown hair, green eyes, and was dressed in black cargo pants with a gray t-shirt.

The waitress didn't answer him, instead turning to the kitchen as she gave the cook an order.

"Yo, kid." He was addressing me this time, and my eyes twitched in annoyance as he stepped closer to me, pinching a bloodied portion of my sweatshirt as he studied it. "Why are you covered in blood?"

"None of your business." I answered, stuffing the map in my pocket as I pulled my shirt out of his grasp, walking around him as I waved at the waitress. "Thanks for the map. I'll be getting out of your hair now."

"Actually…" his hand gripped my shoulder painfully, and I flinched as I pulled away, eying the man. "As an ex-marine, it's very much my business if I see a civilian walking around soaked in blood."

Shit.

I acted on instinct, knocking his arm into the air with my elbow as I ducked away from his hand, noting with annoyance that he was exceptionally quick.

I bolted out the door of the diner as fast as I could, watching with mirth as the man stared at my retreating form, obviously not expecting me to move that quickly.

My eyes widened as the man began to pursue me, and I rapidly flew around the corner of the diner, watching in amazement as the man easily matched my speed. Even a Marine shouldn't be able to move that quickly… right?

I nimbly leapt over a fence, kicking off the top of it as I swung myself up on top of the roof of a nearby building, looking back in annoyance as the man mimicked my movement perfectly, leaping onto the roof right behind me.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, watching with growing anxiety as the man kept up with my speed, which was far faster than a human could sprint. I began the change immediately, my legs becoming longer, and my back lengthening somewhat as my fingernails became claws. Though we were in the middle of a town, I would need to run much faster to escape this man, and my speed increased significantly as my spotted tail finally formed.

"H-hey! Hey, wait! Stop running!" the man yelled from behind. I was gaining ground between us now, easily running twice as fast as the man in my faster cat form. No matter what kind of a freak he was, he couldn't outrun me now, and there was no way I was stopping now.

"You dumbass! Just slow down already…" his voice gradually faded out as I pulled far ahead of him. I was exiting the town now, and I performed a final leap as I began changing again, feathers blooming from my body as I took off into the air.

I looked back briefly, noting with relief that the man had stopped chasing me.

My eyes flicked back ahead of me. I'd be in Omak within an hour, and the horizon was beginning to grow light.

It looked like I would make it in time after all…

* * *

**Well, that's it for this chapter. This might be my longest, I'm not totally sure. Either way, I hope you're happy with it.**

**Now, most of this was all filler, guys. I needed content to fill out the chapter, so I decided to throw in that little detour. Don't read too far into it, and don't expect it to affect the plot in any enormous way.**

**Read and review. Until next time,**

**Mash.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Deceptions**

My wings beat tiredly as I circled the town, my eyes flicking back and forth between the various hotels. Calypso had a nice car, and it was unlikely that there'd be two of the same type in this town.

A glint of silver finally caught my attention at a small hotel at the edge of town, and I let out a sigh of relief as I circled in towards it, my body running on fumes from the lack of food. The sedan was parked at the very back of the parking lot, hidden in the shadow of the adjacent building, which explained how long it took for me to find.

The morning sun shone brightly across the sky as I landed behind the sedan, blocking my eyes briefly as I rapped sharply on the trunk of the sedan with my knuckles. "Pop the trunk." I muttered silently, listening as I heard the light rustle of metal on metal from within the trunk.

Mac looked somewhat annoyed as his head appeared from the inside of the trunk. "You took your sweet time." He grumbled, popping his neck as he hopped out of the trunk. "Shit, but what happened to you? You're covered in blood." He asked, finally noticing my clothing.

"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal." I mumbled, grabbing one of my bags from the trunk as I rustled through it, pulling out a spare change of clothing, as well as a pre-made sandwich.

"You've been finding the food and water okay, right?" I asked as I bit into the sandwich, sighing gratefully as I was finally able to eat.

He nodded, gesturing towards the small pile of wrappers and bottles in the corner. "Yeah, there's still plenty of food left, but I'll need a refill on water soon. It's hot as fuck over here."

I nodded, grabbing the bottles as I tossed them in my pack. "Do you know what room they're in?"

"They're in room 305, on the top level, there." He said, pointing at the top floor of the hotel.

I sighed before tossing my pack back into the trunk, swallowing the last of the sandwich as I stretched, yawning. "Alright, get back in the trunk. I'll let you out again when we get to Spokane."

"Well, if we stop." I amended, walking back towards the hotel building as the trunk slammed shut.

I knocked four times softly on the door number 305 and was quickly rewarded with a light scurrying on the other side of the door. Considering that Calypso very rarely made noise when she moved…

"Heya, Brandy." I said cheerfully as the door opened, allowing me to lock eyes with the mage in question.

Her mouth was hanging open slightly as she stared at my bloodstained clothing, and I got a little nervous as a spark of flame appeared in her hand.

Brandy seemed to find her voice as she stared at my bloodied shoulder, flames dancing in her palm, "Where the hell have you been, and why are you covered in blood?"

Calypso chose this moment to pop her head around the door, raising an eyebrow at my attire.

"Well, you see…" I started, sneaking into the hotel room as I backed away from the irate woman. "This isn't blood. See, I stopped by on this lovely man and his daughter on the way here, and they needed help painti-" my sentence was cut short as Brandy slugged me in the cheek, her face seemingly stuck in a frown.

"Go take a shower. If you're going to lie to me, at least make it believable." She said, huffing as she yawned.

I chuckled, rubbing my cheek idly as I stepped into the bathroom, my clothes in hand. She always seemed to be able to find a reason to be mad at me. I paused, smiling to myself a little. On the other hand, I suppose that I deserved it most of the time.

* * *

The large majority of the remainder of our journey passed without incident. Though Calypso was obligated to inquire further into the nature of my detour, she accepted the truth without question, and didn't feel the need to scold me over it.

I could see the landscape gradually change as we headed east. The lush, cloudy environment of western Washington was no more, transforming into sweeping plains and mountains, which could go from having a boiling temperature, to a windstorm that chilled you to the core.

My eyes flicked to a passing sign; Welcome to Kansas.

"Don't let your guard down." Calypso stated abruptly as we passed the sign. "Though we're approaching from the North, nothing has changed. This car isn't registered to anyone that is associated with the organization, but Arthas has an uncanny way of being prepared for these types of things."

"You think he knows we're coming?" I asked timidly, my eyes flicking out the window.

"Knows? No. But, given the state of his western facility, it's not like we have anything else to do, right? He knows that most likely we will come to aid our allies." She responded, traveling down the highway at an inconspicuous speed.

I nodded, my eyes shifting to nearby buildings. It made sense, after all. "Would he be able to tell that we are who we are?" I asked.

"There are certain powered individuals that have a gift for detecting others." Calypso stated. "These individuals are able to feel a person's presence more acutely than the average powered one. People with exceptional strength are more noticeable than the average human."

"So we could be walking into an ambush." Brandy butted in, sighing.

"We're almost definitely walking into an ambush." Calypso responded cheerfully.

I sighed and put my hand on my cheek, staring out the window in exasperation as my eyes locked onto another sign; Welcome to Kansas…

"Uhh… Calypso?" I muttered, craning my neck back to get a second look at the sign.

"You're just now noticing?" she responded, chuckling as she slowed the car down.

My eyes flicked back in front of us, spotting a familiar building; one that we had passed before. "What's going on?" I asked as she stopped the car, pulling it over to the shoulder.

"This would be the ambush." Brandy muttered, her eyes narrowing as she opened her door.

"Indeed. Considering the nature of the illusion we're stuck in, this is meant to slow us down, not stop us." Calypso stated, grinning as she pulled a knife from her pocket.

I smirked as I cracked my knuckles, opening my door and stepping out, glancing around warily. "So, what do we do now?"

Calypso glanced back at Brandy. "If you would do the honors, Brandy…"

Raising an eyebrow, I glanced at Brandy, who has closed her eyes. I could sense her pulling at her vast well of power, flames whipping around her as she focused intensely, a soft purple glow surrounding her eyes.

The flames flared up suddenly and Brandy's eyes snapped open as she spun around, her hand whipping out as the flames flew towards her target.

The fire flew faster than I could register, striking a seemingly invisible target that was about fifty feet away from the road. A loud shriek filled the air, reverberating madly from all directions as the flames exploded upwards, turning into a towering inferno. I spotted three flaming silhouettes leap from the inferno as the world around us shimmered and faded, revealing our actual destination.

We were about ten feet past the first sign I had seen, though it was much later than I had remembered… how long had we been trapped?

A tower of smoke plumed from the scorched area, centered around a blackened corpse. I winced as I saw the state of the body; Brandy hadn't held back at all.

Three grim individuals stood a ways away from the body, smoke flying off them in small amounts as they panted.

"Y-you killed Ryan!" one of them screeched, her hair brown hair whipping erratically as she stared at the body of her former ally. "You fucking killed him!"

"You started it." I replied, yawning as I stretched.

My nonchalant reply only seemed to aggravate the woman more, her green eyes turning to slits, and her body tensing as if to pounce. "I'll kill you! **I'll fucking kill you!**" she shrieked, causing her two allies to grab her shoulder, holding her back.

"It's not worth it, Rachel. Don't lose your cool." The one on her right said.

"Can it, James! Don't you realize that Ryan is fucking dead!" she responded, whipping around on her ally.

That was my chance. I burst forward with a jolt of speed, my hand tapering into a sharp spike as I thrust forward, aimed at the woman's unprotected back.

The unnamed member of their team registered my movements quickly. "Rachel! Move it!"

The woman's eyes widened as she whipped around, slipping into a defensive stance before I could reach her.

I bent low, doing a quick roll to the side, bypassing Rachel's kick as I burst forward, lunging past her to James, whose vision had been blocked by his teammate. James was much larger than his teammates, and was clearly not as fast.

I lunged forward again, smirking as he raised his arms in a futile defense.

My spike clashed with his arms, which were now sporting a thick coating of… something tough. It seemed metallic, and was definitely tough enough to be steel. My spike didn't even leave a scratch as it pressed against the defensive plating.

He smirked, pushing me backwards as I sensed his friends move into action. It didn't appear as if Brandy and Calypso thought that I needed their help.

Thick vines sprung from my arms, extending rapidly as they wrapped around the brute's neck, constricting his breathing. The vines solidified, becoming layered with bark and wood as I jumped over James, giving the vines a hefty tug as I felt his feet leave the ground. I pulled the vines harshly, slamming him into the ground in front of me, causing him to groan in pain.

I yanked on the vines again, using the heavy man as an oversized chain mace as I spun around, slamming him into his charging teammate who gave a surprised gasp as the steel-clad man crashed into him. I let go of the vines, allowing the heavy man to send his teammate flying, the two of them rolling and crashing through the nearby trees and dirt.

"James! Ty!" their teammate yelled, whipping around as she watched the two go soaring into the scenery.

I dug into my pocket and pulled out a dark blue seed. I yawned as I tossed it at her feet.

Vines burst from the seed, digging their roots into the dirt as they wrapped up their girl's legs, holding her tight in place as a thicket of thorns wrapped their way up her body, forcing her to stand stock still as the plant made its way to her head, the thorns turning into sharp, venomous spines which each had a blooming purple flower on top. The tip of each spine dripped a clear liquid.

"I would suggest convincing them to surrender." I muttered as I walked over to her, giving one of the spines a poke. "You don't want to know what this poison does."

The girl looked terrified as she stood there, her arms trembling as she felt hundreds of thorns pressing against her skin, as well as the five venomous spines.

Her teammates were quick to appear, their eyes going wide as they spotted their ally.

"Don't move!" she shrieked as one of the spines moved closer to her neck. "Let them go! Just do it!"

"B-but…" James muttered, a cold sweat forming on his neck. "Y-you know what Arthas w-will do to us.."

"Not my concern." I said, albeit a bit coldly. "Now, what's your purpose?"

The girl blinked, her breathing ragged and strained as she attempted to stand perfectly still. "W-what do you mean?"

"I mean… why the fuck did you attack us? What were you trying to accomplish?" I demanded, glaring at her. "There's no way that you thought you could beat us. There was another motive here."

"N-nothing! We thought w-we could maybe g-get a good price for your heads…" the stammered, the lie pathetically transparent.

"Liar." I muttered at her, making one of the spines press against her neck as I snarled. "Tell me, or you'll spend the next 18 hours in unimaginable discomfort."

"Don't tell him anything!" James shouted.

My eyes narrowed as I whipped around, anger welling up within me as I glared at the man who would oppose me. I gestured my arm out towards him, causing dozens of vines to lash out from my fingertips, wrapping themselves tightly around his neck again as I yanked brutally.

James gagged, his hands moving up to his neck as he tried to remove the vines. I yanked again, pulling him over as I walked over to a nearby tree, dragging the man behind me. A sickening feeling of pleasure rose up from within me as I listened to his gurgling.

I turned towards the girl as I reached the nearest tree. "You really don't want to talk? Well, I suppose you won't mind watching your friend get strung up from a tree, then." I snarled, tossing the length of vine over a sturdy branch as I began pulling on my end.

"This is going too far." Came the voice of Calypso from over my shoulder as I began hauling the large man into the air, his gurgling becoming more frantic as he struggled to keep his feet on the ground.

"It's a means to an end, Calypso." I replied, a grin forming on my face. She frowned at me, narrowing her eyes, but she did not reply.

"Stop!" I heard the girl shriek, panic in her voice as she watched me begin to hang her teammate. "Please! Don't kill him!"

"You know what I want to know." I replied, giving the vines a brutal yank as the vines tugged the large man off of the ground, causing him to flail like a fish as his lungs were steadily deprived of their precious oxygen.

"Ty! Stop him!" she wailed, tears trailing down her cheeks.

Her other teammate seemed conflicted however, I watched as his eyes flicked from Rachel's face to the spines pressing against her neck. "I…"

"Forget your stupid crush, Tyler! Stop him from killing James!" panic filled her voice now, and tears dripped off of her jaw as James' face turned a deep shade of red, his body twitching from the lack of air.

"He can't stop me, and he knows it. If he attacks me, all three of you will die." I stated matter-of-factly. "Only you can prevent a death here, Rachel."

A peculiar expression crossed her face as I said these words, and a series of mad giggles escaped her lips. "Why…" she began, looking me directly in the eyes, "…do you believe that you're scarier than Arthas? Nothing you can do to me will ever, ever compare to what will happen to me if I betray him."

Anger flashed through me, and the steadily building darkness inside of me spiked. "Very well." I muttered, tugging harder on the vines constricting her friend's neck.

I expected to hear the brutal crack of a crushed windpipe, and the last strangled gurgles of a dying man. Instead, all I heard was a swift slice, and the rush of flames.

My upper lip rose in a snarl as I turned, watching the suffocating man drop from the tree, my vines laying in sliced chunks around him. Calypso was holding him, massaging his throat in an attempt to get him breathing. The crackle of fire forced me to turn again, my rage becoming inflamed as I watched a controlled spark of fire burn away the plants surrounding Rachel.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my eyes narrowing.

Calypso looked up, her eyes narrowed, and a cold expression occupying her face that I'd never seen before. "We're stopping you from making a big mistake."

"Please. They're just three of Arthas' stooges." I argued, gesturing towards them. "How could that possibly be a mistake?"

"Because you're not acting like yourself, Mac." Brandy said, cutting in as she glared at me. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but you need to knock it off."

"There's nothing wrong with me!" I insisted, half-laughing. "If anything, I feel better than ever!"

Calypso scowled, walking away from the choking man. "We're leaving." She said, staring at me.

"What do you mean, we're leaving?" I questioned, baffled. "We still need to deal with these three! They're going to report to Arthas!"

"Arthas is going to hear about this one way or another." Calypso stated, locking eyes with me. "This is not negotiable. Get in the car."

I snorted, turning my back as I reluctantly walked towards the car, my blood flowing with adrenaline and hate. What was her problem? Wasn't this our mission? To kill Arthas and all of his pawns?

'_Why should anyone stop us?_'

The thought was so sudden that it caused me to pause, blinking. Us? Who's us? I shook my head, grumbling to myself. It was probably just the sleep deprivation.

I looked back, the adrenaline rush beginning to recede, the logical part of my brain returning to the forefront of my thoughts as I analyzed what had just happened. Calypso did have a point. Why shed blood if it wasn't necessary?

'_Because it's fun._' There it was again. It was such a subtle thought, lingering in the back of my head. It felt foreign, as if it originated outside of my mind.

A shaky breath escaped my lips as I shook my head, ducking into the backseat of the car. I could vaguely hear the muffled 'Are you okay?' come from behind the backseat. I muttered a calming reply as I rubbed my arms.

I watched as Calypso knocked each of the three out, tying them to the tree with the help of Brandy. My hands shook a little as I looked at the scars and bruises littering the three scourge. Had I always gotten so caught up in my fights?

Shaking my head, I closed my eyes, breathing deeply as I tried to relax. Calypso and Brandy entered the car soundlessly, not muttering a word to me as we started moving again.

The rocking motion of the car soothed me, and before long, sleep finally conquered me, pulling me into a deep slumber.

* * *

The glaring heat bore down on Ben as he stepped out from the private plane. He shielded his eyes, glancing around. Austin was a horrifyingly arid place; very different from the northern United States.

"Bring her out." Ben called, looking back at the group of men that had accompanied him on the plane ride.

They were just some cronies that had worked under his father before. Not particularly special, but they served their purpose.

"Let me go!" came the indignant cry of Sarah Katriel. "You sons of bitches! Just… let… go!"

"Quiet down." Ben yelled, warily scanning their surroundings. This airport belonged to Arthas, and though he didn't expect to see News Vans watching him, you never know who could be.

Sarah hissed at him, her teeth bared, "Why don't you make me?"

His eyes flashed dangerously as he turned around, staring at her. Though it was only a threateningly glance, it got her mouth to shut. Ben turned around, walking next to one of the men in suits that had accompanied them.

"Boss," the man began, his eyes shifting. "We've got a power anomaly half a block south-east of us. Either a power-line is on the fritz, or we're being watched."

Ben nodded, not breaking his stride as he looked back, watching as the girl dragged her feet behind them. "Do they know that we've detected them?" Ben asked, pretending to yawn.

"No. I've already sent out a team to flank the-" the suit was cut off as Ben's glare turned on him.

"You idiot. Do you think a team of you stooges is going to stop them?" Ben hissed, his eyes narrowing.

A crackle of noise patched through the man's earpiece radio, and he almost missed a step, his eyes widening. Whatever he heard over the radio clearly surprised him. Ben's eyes narrowed further, turning to two of his men. "You and you!" he yelled, turning towards the anomaly. "Follow me."

With a burst of speed, he took off, his two hired guns having a tough time keeping up.

Ben hopped a fence, utterly unsurprised as he saw the bodies of the team that had been sent to surround his would-be spies. Incompetence surrounded him today.

"Should we pursuit, sir?" one of the suits asked.

"Did they see the cargo?" Ben asked, his mind formulating an idea.

The suit nodded, "It's very likely, sir. They had a good view of us unloading the girl."

The younger boy nodded, the gear in his mind turning. "Do we know exactly where this team was from? Who they report to?"

"It's probably a fair guess that they report to the group of them farther north. This was likely a scouting party." Came the reply.

A grin stretched across Ben's face. "Yeah, let them go. I hope they got a really, really good look at who we hauled off that plane."

Ben whipped around, headed back towards the airport. "Prepare the convoy. We're leaving for HQ."

The suits nodded, before dashing ahead. Ben smiled as his mind formulated a plan. If all went well, then he wouldn't need to be in New York at all.

* * *

We were about five minutes outside of Greensburg when we stopped for gas at a small, crummy gas station.

I sighed, slipping out of the car as I slammed the door behind me, walking towards the gas station. I needed some coffee. Calypso tossed Brandy her credit card, nodding at her to take care of the gas, intent on heading into the gas station as well.

I pulled a baseball cap over my head as we walked inside, pulling the bill low as the dull chime of the store door sounded. I ducked away from the cameras, hiding my face as Calypso did the same, almost mimicking my movement as she followed me back to the coffee dispensers.

My shoulders tensed up a little as she followed me, my mind whirring over possibilities as I grabbed a medium cup, beginning to fill it as she turned her back to me, browsing the shelf on the other side.

"It's been three days since we left Washington, Mac." She began, her body not missing a step as she browsed through the goods. "Three days to explain why this three-person mission took on an extra member." Her words held a sharpness that I didn't hear often from her.

"I was going to bring that up…" I began, defending myself.

She cut me off. "If it weren't the fact that you almost committed triple homicide earlier today, I might have ignored it altogether." She casually browsed through several types of candies, "However, I'm beginning to wonder if I can trust you, Mac."

I frowned, lidding my cup, "It's complicated, Calypso."

"Not complicated enough for Brandy to be kept out of the loop." She responded, turning towards me.

I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. "You remember the woman I was affiliated with during the California mission?" I asked, stirring in some sugar to my coffee. "She's been taken hostage by the Hanscom kid. This is my mess, so I'm cleaning it up."

Calypso's features softened somewhat, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. "You don't have to do everything yourself, Mac. This is why Stitches sends us out in teams." She replied, the sharpness gone from her tone.

"I know." I muttered, grabbing my coffee. "But, this is my screw-up. I made the mistake of getting involved with her, and now I'm fixing it."

I could feel Calypso's eyes on me as I walked away. She clearly wanted to say more. She didn't, however. We grabbed our items, paid for them, and left the store. I could see Brandy's apprehensive stare. "She knows." I stated, getting in the back seat. I knocked on the back of my seat, "You can come out now."

"Shit, man." Came the disgruntled reply as the trunk popped open, allowing Mac to scramble out. Though I'd found time to let him out periodically for basic needs, he looked like he'd seen better days.

"So, how is this kid tied in with the girl?" Calypso asked, her eyes wandering to the holster where Mac's knives were kept.

"They were… previously involved." I replied, keeping it as vague as possible. "He was the one that let me know she had been taken, and so he's coming to help."

A car pulled up to the gas tank on the opposite side of us. It was a black pontiac; hardly capturing my attention as I further explained the situation with Calypso. I drained the rest of my coffee, blanching as the foul brew passed down my throat. Never again was I going to buy gas station coffee.

Calypso seemed content enough with the information I'd given her, and allowed me to walk towards the garbage can that separated the gas tanks. I tossed my cup into the trash can, briefly staring at the car that had parked next to us. It was a GT Judge, and a nice one at that. Definitely looked like someone took a lot of care of that car.

The door opened, and my eyes widened as I got a glimpse of the man stepping out of the car. It was the same man that I had run into in Brewster. It was the ex-marine.

His eyes locked with mine briefly, and the same look of recognition crossed his features as he raised his hand at me, "Woah, woah, woah. Don't go anywhere, kid. I just want to talk…"

Immediately I turned around, kicking off the stone post near the gas station as I bolted to our car.

He was fast. Ridiculously fast.

He was in front of me before I could blink, his hands raised up in a defensive gesture. I twisted awkwardly, my spine twisting at an uncomfortable angle as I rolled to the side, ducking past him.

His hand grabbed my ankle, holding me in a tight grip. "Would you just calm down, kid? I'm not trying to hurt you!"

"Horseshit!" I yelled back at him, my hips twisting as I spun around in his grip, my foot aimed at his face.

He let go of my leg, bringing his arms up to block my kick, sending him skidding backwards as I did a quick flip backwards. The deep reservoir of power inside of me churned as I pulled on its reserves, before I found myself unable to move, my arms twisted behind my back, though not painfully, by a smaller pair of hands.

"Mac, stop." Calypso said as she held my arms. "He's not an enemy."

Brandy and Mac weren't far behind her as they stared at the mysterious man across the gas station, who was currently rubbing what looked like a developing bruise on his forearms. I smirked.

"Who is he, Calypso?" Brandy asked, eying the man in question.

Calypso ignored her, walking up to the man, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Hello, Dean…" she purred, her fingers fiddling with the hilt of her knives.

"You're not supposed to call me that." Dean drawled out, eying her hands.

Calypso grinned, turning back to us as she put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "This, kids, is… well, you can call him Rabbit. He's number two to Grahoth."

"Actually, number three, now." Rabbit replied, somewhat sheepishly.

Calypso blinked, before turning on him. "You let her beat you?" she demanded, poking him in the chest.

Dean looked affronted, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't _let_ her beat me, Calypso! She got better, and she beat me fair and square."

Getting tired of being left out, I cleared my throat, loudly. "Who is… 'her'?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Her cover name is Bloom." Calypso said, shooting me a peculiar glance. "She's one of the 'prodigies' of the organization, so to speak. Not so different from yourself."

I nodded, my mind whirring. Not so different from me? Does that mean she has an artificial catalyst?

Mac decided to make himself known to the group, his frustration obviously at its climax. "Can we get a move on, people? We have places to be."

Dean studied Mac intensely, squinting. "I seem to recall Stitches sending out… three agents. Why do I see four?" he asked, glancing at Calypso.

"it's a long story." She replied, nodding at him. "He's not a threat."

Dean sighed, but let the matter drop. "Fine. Grahoth is expecting you guys anytime now. Let's get moving."

I nodded, my competitive side eager to meet this so-called 'Bloom'.

* * *

**(Author's Note:)**

**Wow, okay. So it's been what, 8 months?**

**I apologize for the huge leave of absence. I've just been… contemplating where I want this to go. I think I have a vague idea, now.**

**Anyways, read and review, as always. Credit to the creation of the OC 'Dean', or 'Rabbit' goes to Captain Price.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Pre-examinations**

* * *

I didn't trust this so-called 'Rabbit'. He was powerful. Much more powerful than the average joe. However, he clearly had a history with Calypso, and she seemed to trust him. Had I ever been given reason to not trust Calypso's judgment before? Not particularly.

I huffed, my keen vision allowing me to peer through the rear windshield of Rabbit's car as it rolled in front of us. I stared at his reflection in the rearview mirror, his eyes locking with mine briefly. His eyes were trained, disciplined, and stern; however, I didn't detect any noticeable malice

My eyes flicked to the right, glancing out the window as I sighed, shaking my head.

"You don't have to worry about him, Mac." Calypso said, her voice soothing. "I know he seems… intimidating, but he's definitely not a threat to us."

I nodded vaguely, ignoring the curious glances of Brandy and Mac.

Rabbit's car took a sharp turn off the highway, rolling onto a dusty, abandoned dirt path. Really, it almost didn't even look like a path. Calypso followed suit, checking her mirrors for potential tails before making the sharp turn, the wheels of her car kicking up dirt on the dusty path. Rabbit's car followed the path until it ended abruptly, but continued driving. We were now rolling through an empty field, the only thing in sight being the run-down, rickety old factory building ahead of us. I assumed that was our destination.

It really was run-down. The car stopping abruptly gave me an opportunity to get a better look at the building as I exited the vehicle. Rusted, iron support beams ran up and down the structure, the decades of abandonment showing through the jagged metal. The place looked like it could collapse any second. Was the second group really set up here?

My eyes were brought downwards as a ripple ran through the building. Little waves traveling outwards from a single location in the bottom. The doorway.

I smirked as a young man stepped through the doorway. He had dark purple hair, several tattoos running down his neck, and a number of piercings littering his ears. I raised an incredulous eyebrow.

"Yo, Zach." Rabbit said as he stepped out of his car, gesturing to our cars. "Would you care to do the honors?"

Zach gave him a bored look, as if he'd heard that routine before. "Until you can find another competent Arcane mage, then I guess I have to, right?"

Brandy perked up at that remark, giving the boy an intrigued look.

Rabbit laughed, slapping the kid on the shoulder, "Yeah, yeah, smartass. Just get us under cover."

Zach rolled his eyes, before taking in a deep breath, his fingertips glowing with a strange purple glow. Light trailed from the tips of his fingers as he made a series of strange gestures, drawing ancient symbols in the air, his eyes taking on a faint purple tint as the magic became stronger.

I watched as the symbols began encircling our vehicles, ripples of magic traveling across them as they began to fade slightly. Brandy had a look of genuine awe on her face as she watched the magic work.

Before long, the cars had vanished altogether, the ancient runes still encircling where they had previously been. Timidly, I reached out, touching the outline of our car. A ripple rolled over the outline, but I could still feel the metal of our car. It was an illusion.

My eyes flicked back to the abandoned factory, squinting somewhat. Then that meant…

"It's all one giant illusion…" Brandy breathed, her eyes wide. "The amount of pure concentration it must take to keep it all stable…"

Zach sighed, rolling his shoulders before pulling a bottle of ibuprofen out of his pocket, popping a couple of them as he rubbed his temples.

"Those things will kill your liver, dumbass." Rabbit said, giving the kid a disapproving stare.

"My mind is currently processing and maintaining more information than a chess team has to analyze throughout an entire tournament. Tell me that you could do that without getting a headache or two." Zach replied, giving Rabbit an annoyed look.

Rabbit chuckled, waving us over. "Come on, guys. Let's get inside before this kid finds more ways to bitch at us."

We complied. My heartbeat got a little faster as we approached the door to the base, my mind whirring with the possibilities of what could be inside.

* * *

The inside… wasn't all that much more impressive than the outside. I glanced around, taking in my surroundings. It was the same factory as the one we saw outside… but it was newer. A lot newer.

The iron, though slightly rusted, did not show the decades of decay that was shown on the outside, the roof was still mostly intact, and though I wouldn't consider it a 4-star hotel, it certainly didn't look like it was about to collapse. The whole place looked like it had recently been shut down. I could still detect the faint smell of oil and grease in the air.

We had a small greeting party on the inside.

Out of the five people standing side-by-side, I recognized four.

Invy and Atek stood near the back. They didn't look particularly thrilled to see us, but they seemed to be dealing with it. Rabbit and Zach stood next to them. Rabbit was giving us a cheeky grin, as if he was posing for a class photo, his elbow resting on Zach's shoulder. The mage in question looked like he was going to murder someone.

Then there was the enormous man in front of them. I had always thought that I was a large guy, but Grahoth dwarfed me. He had shaggy, brown hair that fell to just below his eyebrows. He was wearing a brown t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans. He was at least 6' 5", and was easily as wide as a small doorway. Though he had an impressive physique, his keen eyes showed no lack of intelligence. It was clear as to why he was chosen to lead this group.

Grahoth grinned as he stared at us, his intimidating impression melting away somewhat. "So, the Washington group is here at last." He said, chuckling.

Calypso smirked, walking forwards. "We are indeed, Grahoth. Stitches seemed to believe that we were needed urgently."

The large man nodded, "Even that's a dire understatement. In the last month alone we've been pushed across the border, out of our home state." He growled, his eyes narrowing. "More and more pressure has been coming from the southern facility, as well as a few raiding teams from the east. We can never catch a break."

I frowned, my eyes darting around the abandoned factory. I counted five from this group… but there should definitely be a sixth.

Mac seemed to notice my anxiety. "What's the problem?" he muttered under his breath. It was so low that even I had to strain to hear it.

"I don't see Bloom." I muttered back, feeling out for any other significant power sources.

"Bloom's out on a mission." Came the drawling voice of Atek.

My head whipped in his direction. Had he actually heard that conversation from clear over there?

He flicked his own ear, smirking. "I spend my life listening and watching. A hunter's senses shouldn't be underestimated."

Rabbit grinned at me. "Oh, is the druid curious about the new girl?"

I flushed at the implication, glaring at him. "Shut it. I'm not curious."

"Bloom will be back any time. She's out on a scouting mission to our previous base. Since you were due to arrive today, we thought it would be a good idea to start planning our counter-attack." Grahoth rumbled, giving me a way-ward glance.

Calypso nodded, smirking. "Good plan. We're all well-rested, and ready to fight when necessary."

Zach's head snapped up, my eyes furrowed. "That's good, because we need to move now."

Grahoth turned to him. "Is it Bloom?"

Zach nodded, frowning. "Yeah, it's her. She's being followed by a counter-intel group. We need to eliminate them."

"How.." I heard Brandy mutter, her eyes squinting at him.

"The arcane arts are the more subtle forms of magic. I can't blow things up like you can, but reading minds certainly isn't out of my skillset." He replied, glancing out the window. "Here she comes."

Grahoth huffed, glancing at us. "Alright, we need to flank that group.." he pointed at Rabbit and Calypso. "You and you. Move as quickly and quietly as you can. Flank them quickly." He ordered. "Are there any other rogues here?" he asked, glancing at us.

Mac raised his hand nervously, attracting Grahoth's attention. "You go with them." He ordered, causing Mac to nod.

"Atek, you Invy and…" he glanced around, his eyes landing on Brandy, "You. You three go up to the roof and provide ranged support. Rain death down on them." He turned to Zach, "Zach, you go up there with them. You'll be their support. If they're targeted from range, ensure that the attacks miss."

Grahoth finally turned to me, causing me blood to run cold a little. "You, druid. You and I will be supporting Bloom in melee. I hope you know how to throw a punch."

I nodded, a grin coming to my face. Finally, a time to fight again. I could feel the adrenaline start to flow through my body, causing my catalyst to pulse excitedly.

"Time to move, people. Bloom is half a mile away from the factory!" Zach yelled, clapping his hands. Immediately, the factory moved into motion. Rabbit gestured to Mac and Calypso, leading them out a back entrance. My eyes followed them for about twenty seconds before they disappeared into the grassy field surrounding the factory.

Invy and Atek led Zach and Brandy up to the roof, climbing up a rusty ladder. Brandy has a smirk on her face, obviously looking forward to fighting next to Invy, if only to show her up.

Grahoth broke into a sprint, bursting the factory door open as he made a clean leap over the cloaked vehicles. I sprinted after him, doing a quick flip over the cars myself. In the distance, I could spot a small, slender figure dashing over the nearby hills. The figure was followed by a quickly-advancing group of figures. I blinked in surprise, counting at least a dozen scourge racing across the field towards us.

I squinted as I burst into a dead sprint, my eyes spotting the slender, four-legged form of a spotted cat whipping through the underbrush. Bursts of magic exploded around the cat, courtesy of the advancing scourge force behind it.

"Bloom's a druid…" I muttered, watching the cat weave in and out of the magical artillery.

We were about twenty feet from the cat when it leapt into the air, spinning. I watched in awe as Bloom began her transformation back to her human form. Long, curly brown hair formed from her head, falling down her shoulders. A pair of light-brown eyes locked with mine briefly as she twirled mid-air, her tail retracting as she did a quick flip in the air.

She didn't appear to be very old. If she was any older than 18 years old, I'd be shocked.

She gave me a smirk as she began twisting in mid-air, a flurry of spines shooting from her arms and fingertips, showering the approaching group. Some of the spines got through, giving the scourge several cuts and scrapes, but most of them got burned up in the raised wall of flame, via one of the scourge mages.

Bloom landed next to myself and Grahoth, panting. "Good to see you, Grahoth." She muttered, her eyes flicking over the group.

"Glad to see you made it back safely, Bloom." He replied.

She glanced over at me, before looking up as a hail of arrows and magical artillery soared over our heads, courtesy of our ranged support. "I guess we can make introductions later." She chirped, before rushing forward.

I grinned, dashing after her, Grahoth following right behind me.

The scourge group stuttered, backing up quickly as they realized just how outgunned they were.

I grinned as I heard screams of pain echo from the back of the group. It would appear that the rogue squad was digging it. "That's our cue, guys." I yelled, jumping up in the air, my arms taking on a green tint as vines shot from my fingertips, wrapping around the throat of one of the scourge. I yanked upwards, pulling him up to me before slamming him back down with a well-aimed punch to his chest.

Blood splattered across me cheek from the punch, causing a deranged smirk to cross my face. I could feel my catalyst pulse faster and faster, power flowing out in droves.

I dashed into the group of scourge with a burst of inhuman speed, whirling around as my fists lashed out at anything around me. I felt jaws crunch and limbs snap, the grin growing wider as I whirled around. Fire, ice, and arrows fell around me, piercing and gouging out the scourge as they tried to flee.

Grahoth tore into the crowd after me, his hulking form visible over the group of terrified scourge. He lashed out with frightening strength, crippling his opponents with the lightest of touches. His speed, though perhaps not as profound as mine, was nothing to laugh at either.

I gripped a scourge by the neck, lifting him up in the air as my catalyst supplemented my muscles, allowing me to lift the man up nearly effortlessly, my fingers tightening around his windpipe. A sickening slicing sound came from behind me, and I turned, surprised. A wicked-looking root was sprouting from the ground, impaling a scourge that had been behind me, a knife raised at me.

A snarl escaped my lips, and I crushed the windpipe of the scourge I was holding, before spinning rapidly, my fist landing square on the chest of the impaled scourge, forcing him down farther on the root.

"That was a little overkill." Came the voice of Bloom, who was busy strangling a scourge with a cluster of vines. "Aren't you going to thank me for saving your ass?"

I snarled, turning away from her. The battle had been over the second it had begun. Scourge lay across the field, most dead, but some still clung to life. "I didn't need your help." I muttered, as the adrenaline faded.

The power faded from my body, and I sighed, biting my inner cheek as I looked around me. Scourge were tossed one on top of the other, forming a neat circle around me. The battle had happened so fast… I barely remembered it all.

I gulped, feeling tired as I stumbled back, rubbing my head. Bloom gave me a questioning look as I stumbled past her, and Grahoth watched me with an analytical glance.

"Well, looks like we cleaned up nicely." Rabbit said, studying the pile of bodies. "Any serious Injuries? Anyone?"

I sat down under a tree, tired and somewhat confused. More and more recently I had come to realize just how brutal I'd become in battle. Why was this happening? My stomach churned a little as I reflected on the meditation session I'd had at my house. These brutal feelings… they were almost carbon copies of the feelings I'd experienced when my Catalyst had gone out of control. Was it somehow affecting my mind in battle?

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. I'd talk to someone about it later.

"So, is this the normal routine for you guys?" Calypso asked, brushing off her shoulder.

Grahoth nodded, a grim expression on his face. "It's not something that happens on a daily basis, but it happens often enough. They just keep coming."

"Is this location secure after that?" Calypso pondered, glancing around.

Rabbit chimed in, glancing at the bodies. "Probably not. Arthas has a way of finding out where our bases are after these skirmishes." He paused, glancing at us, "However, this is the first counter-intel battle we've had without someone sustaining a sizeable wound."

"Well, we ARE pretty badass." Mac said, grinning as he cleaned off his knives.

"Which is exactly why you were called here." Grahoth continued, giving Mac a secondary glance. "Well, why they were called here. I'm not entirely sure who you are."

"He's a friend we picked up on the way." I said, glancing at Mac. "He's trustworthy, and a valuable asset. We should use him."

While Grahoth didn't seem totally satisfied with that answer, he didn't press the issue. Mac's demonstration on the field seemed to be enough… for now. "Either way..." he began, "We can start taking the offensive now that we have a boost to our numbers."

"Is that right?" Rabbit said, grinning. "About time! I've been waiting to give these assholes a good ass-kicking!"

"Hold onto your pants, Rabbit." Grahoth grumbled, glancing around us. "We'll be moving south to reclaim our base, but that's as far as the majority of us will go. After that, we'll be busy refortifying."

Rabbit looked a little dismayed, but scoffed and turned away, crossing his arms. Zach, Brandy, Invy, and Atek took that moment to arrive, their noses sneering at the pile of bodies.

Grahoth turned to Bloom. "What do you have to report, Bloom?" he asked, "You took longer than expected."

"Well, I got all the information I needed from our old Oklahoma base… so I took it upon myself to go a little farther south." Bloom replied, shrugging.

Grahoth's eyes narrowed. "Please tell me you didn't go to spy on the Austin facility."

"I wasn't there long!" she explained, whirling around defensively. "And I got some useful information, too!"

The large man sighed, rubbing his temples. "Next time, just please stick to the plan. That's way out of our safety zone." He stared at her, shaking his head. "Well, at least that explains why you were followed back. You don't get in our out of that state without Arthas knowing about it."

Bloom nodded sheepishly. "Yeah… I was detected when I was spying on Arthas' private airport. I got wind that an unmarked flight was coming in."

That piqued Grahoth's curiosity. "An unmarked flight? Did you see the cargo?"

"It was a prisoner transport." She chirped, obviously proud of herself. "Ben Hanscom was escorting a prisoner to the Austin facility."

My blood ran cold, and a shocked look crossed Mac's face. This was way too much to be a coincidence. That had to be Sarah. Mac nodded an affirmative, obviously coming to the same conclusion. Thankfully, most of the group was too focused on the dialogue at hand to pay us any attention.

Grahoth smirked at her, chuckling. "Excellent. So, Ben has someone up at the Austin facility that he wants to keep secret. Good to know, Bloom. You did well."

Bloom blushed, nodding happily.

Grahoth sighed, glancing around the battlefield. "Let's head back. These bodies won't be here long." He said, glancing up at the quickly circling murder of crows above us. The scavenger birds would eat well tonight.

I shuddered at the thought, turning back towards the factory.

"We got a good look at what most of you northerners can do from this battle, but I'd like to see more." Rabbit said, looking over the group. "After you've all had a small break, you're going to be paired up with one of us for a sparring match."

I perked up immediately, my mind temporarily free of the thoughts of Sarah. It had been a very long time since I'd had a good training match.

* * *

Rabbit cleared his throat as he stood on top of a podium-like stand, glancing down at us. "Now then. Out of the four northerners that joined us, I have worked in the field with only Calypso before." He commented, his eyes looking over us. "That being said, I haven't seen the capabilities of the other three of you."

He pointed to myself, Mac, and Brandy. "You will fight your respective types, to give us a fair assessment of what you can accomplish." He glanced at me first, "You, druid, you will be fighting Bloom."

My heart sped up as I locked eyes with the girl in question. She gave me a smirk, tossing her hair as she grinned cheekily.

"Mage. You will be fighting Invy." Came Rabbit's next announcement. I could practically see the flames circling Brandy's fists as she glared at Invy, a vengeful fire in her eyes.

"Finally, you." Rabbit called out, pointing at my Rogue counterpart. "You will be fighting me."

Mac stared at Rabbit, his fingers twitching to his knives nervously. I hadn't seen Rabbit's fighting skills out in the field, but obviously Mac had. Whatever he saw had intimidated him.

Grahoth spoke up, clearing his voice. "Everybody clear out of the central area. The fights will be held in the opposite order that they were announced." He yelled, looking around. "Rabbit and the new Rogue; get down there."

Mac twitched nervously, his hands wrapping around his knives as the room clear out around him. I moved back quickly, doing a quick backflip to land myself on a raised iron girder that traveled horizontally around the factory floor. Bloom made a similar motion, landing next to me.

"You're not nervous, are ya?" she asked, giving me a wink."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Why would I be nervous? Clearly I can hold my own in a fight."

She giggled, turning her eyes to the fight. "I guess we'll see, won't we? I hope your little friends can hold their own as well."

My eyes directed to the arena as well. Rabbit was currently strolling to the opposite end as Mac, his stance was laid-back, but also disciplined in his own way.

"No maiming or crippling of any kind. All acquired wounds MUST be mendable within a 24 hour period. Don't kill each other, but I don't want to see either of you holding back." Grahoth announced, his voice rumbling across the silent room.

"Begin."

The last syllable had barely touched the air before Rabbit disappeared. He reappeared in a flash, his knives raised in a slicing motion behind Mac.

The younger Rogue ducked low, his leg sweeping out in a kick, trying to catch Rabbit off balance. His leg only touched air as Rabbit leapt up in an impressive display of agility, doing a roll in midair, before turning back to Mac. "Not too shabby, kid." He murmured, before dashing forward again.

Mac bent backwards as the knife sliced the air above his chest, his hand planting on the ground for support, before whipping his leg out. Once again, his foot only touched air.

"You know, I never really believed that the best offense was a good defense" said Rabbit, his foot lashing out cruelly, catching the younger rogue in the ribs. Mac was thrown harshly to the side of the arena, but recovered nicely, maneuvering into a crouched position as he slid across the floor.

The younger Rogue snarled, his foot kicking off one of the iron girders as he launched himself at Rabbit, swiping at the elder Rogue. Rabbit neatly deflected his knife with a swipe of his own, knocking Mac's blade airborne.

Rabbit's knee came up, catching Mac in the chin, forcing his upperbody upwards, allowing Rabbit to plant a firm kick to his chest, sending him flying backwards into the girder. In a display of expertise, Rabbit snatched Mac's blade out of the air, flinging it at the Rogue.

The blade dug itself into the iron, the tip holding the sleeve of Mac's shirt to the girder.

"This fight's over, Grahoth." Rabbit said, grinning.

Bloom giggled, glancing at me again. "Gee, I hope you're not that much of a pushover."

I frowned, glancing at Mac. "This fight's not over yet. For a kid without any official training, he's not half bad."

True to my word, Rabbit was caught off-guard as a knife flew by his face in a flash, piercing itself to an opposite girder, leaving a long, clean slice across his cheek. Rabbit touched a hand to his face, frowning as he saw the blood.

Turning around, he looked around for the Rogue, his brow furrowing as Mac was nowhere to be found.

The attack came fast, powered by an impressive push off of the ceiling, and the natural effects of gravity, Mac came shooting downwards, his body a blur as he hooked his elbow around Rabbit's neck, pulling the elder Rogue into the hard pavement brutally, slamming him into the concrete.

Mac bounced as he hit the ground as well, holding his bruised ribs tenderly as he rolled away, his eyes on Rabbit.

Mac's eyes widened as 'Rabbit' fizzeled away in a puff of smoke, and he growled when he felt the familiar sting of cold steel on his neck.

"Not bad, rookie." Rabbit said, glancing down at him. "With a bit of training, we can make a monster out of you. You have all the potential in the world, just not a scrap of discipline."

Mac frowned, huffing childishly as he looked away.

"All in all, my review is that you're not quite ready for open combat, but that you have the potential to be good someday." Rabbit concluded, helping Mac off the floor. "That was a good fight, though. If nothing else, your unpredictability will be a good asset for you."

Grahoth cleared his throat, pointing at Invy and Brandy. "You two, up next. Rabbit, get that kid a chair to sit down on."

Rabbit scoffed, pretending to be offended. "What? I don't get special treatment? I have wounds too!"

Grahoth ignored him, but I chuckled as Zach made a show of playing the world smallest violin for him.

Brandy and Invy walked into the arena, and the tension immediately rose. Flames began to dance in Brandy's hands, and the chill of Invy caused my blood to cool.

"Zach, raise a ward around them. We won't be here much longer, so you can let the illusions around the factory and cars drop." Grahoth ordered, stepping out of the arena.

"Awww, do we really need a ward for a little cat fight?" Rabbit chimed in, grinning as he mimed eating popcorn.

"Oh, we'll need a ward of some kind alright…" I muttered. I rarely got a chance to see Brandy this angry. She was going to cook us alive if we didn't have some form of protection.

Large, transparent, purple walls began to form around the perimeter of the arena. They looked like they were at least a foot thick, certainly putting a strain on the mage that was casting them. Zach looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel.

"So, you know this mage well?" Bloom asked, looking at Brandy curiously.

"I've known her for a while, yeah." I answered, vaguely. "Long enough to know that she'll turn this factory into a giant oven if this fight gets too intense."

Bloom raised an eyebrow, glancing at the tense fighters. Zach seemed to be finished putting up the ward surrounding them.

Grahoth spoke up once again. "Once again, no maiming or killing. Do not mortally wound each other, but do not hold back."

"You may begin." He declared, stepping back.

Flames jetted from Brandy's fists, the fire evident in her eyes as she shot a fair sized ball of fire at Invy. The spouts of flame pushed against the ward, bending it slightly, but not doing much else.

Instinctively, Invy ducked low, raising a wall of ice that slammed against the fireball. Fire raged against water as the two forces battled for dominance.

Brandy planted her feet firmly in the ground, lighting off fireball after fireball. The spheres of flaming death rained down on Invy, who was barely maintaining her defenses. She clearly hadn't been expecting this kind of firepower.

The ice mage dug her foot into the ground, her eyes turning a shade of blue. A ripple traveled through the arena floor, a line of icy spikes launching out of the concrete, aimed straight at Brandy.

The young mage acted quickly, whipping her arms out, a stream of flames rocketing towards the spikes, evaporating them instantly.

The counterattack was all Invy needed, however. In an instant Invy was on the offensive, launching a flurry of icy artillery towards Brandy.

The fire mage dodged the attacks expertly, twirling around one of the shards of ice before launching a fireball back at Invy. The fireball detonated violently in midair, a plume of smoke shooting outwards, covering the warded area in a thick fog.

Two streaks of light shot through the clouds of smoke, and a roaring thud echoed across the arena. My eyebrows rose as the fog cleared, revealing Brandy next to Invy, a flame covered fist buried in Invy's stomach.

The ice mage coughed harshly, getting lifted into the air, the fire scorching her skin and clothing.

Invy rolled off to the side, flicking a shard of ice at Brandy as she massaged her burnt stomach, her ice soothing the worst of the burn.

"Ouch… she's certainly something." Bloom chirped, looking on excitedly. "If you ask me, Invy's ego is just a little bit swollen. Getting knocked around a little might do her some good."

I looked on, worried. "Maybe. I just hope Brandy doesn't do anything stupid…"

Once again, roaring fire clashed against rigid ice, the flames licking the edges of the ward, causing it to bend more. Zach strained to hold up the ward as the flames grew more intense, engulfing the ice.

Brandy rushed forward, a flaming fist crashing brutally through the brittle ice shell, slugging Invy yet again, causing the mage to stumble backwards.

Invy grinned as she looked up, her hand reaching towards Brandy. The fire mage raised an eyebrow, but quickly began panicking as the ice shell that she had punched through closed around her arm, pinning her in place.

The ice surrounding her arm began cutting off the circulation to her hand, and a pale blue hue began creeping up her arm, surely the first signs of hypothermia.

The floor began to glow an eerie blue, the entirely of the concrete becoming a luminescent beacon as Invy began channeling her power. Brandy's eyes widened, a look of terror crossing her features. I was suddenly reminded of Brandy's story of how she earned her fatal wound in the first place.

"She wouldn't…" I muttered in disbelief.

"Oh, but she would. Let's just hope she doesn't do your mage any serious damage." Bloom muttered, her expression equally grim.

A million jagged spikes shot up out of the floor, moving at hypersonic speeds, my eyes barely able to keep up. Several of them were aimed right at Brandy, and she didn't appear to have any way to escape.

I tensed, muscles tightening as I prepared to launch myself at the ring, intent on at least trying to save her, when something unexpected happened.

A resonating crack rumbled through the arena. My catalyst ached excitedly at the familiar sound, which was followed by a tidal wave of power.

Brandy's eyes flicked open, and a frightening aura surrounded her. Her eyes glowed a frightening orange hue, and a raging fire burnt within them. The ice spikes were centimeters away from her skin when they all spontaneously melted, a rolling heatwave emanating from the fire mage as her entire body burst into flames. Bright, frightening tongues of flame shot off of her body, slamming forcefully into the ward as she blazed brighter than any bonfire I had ever seen.

My jaw hung open as I watched the display. She'd opened her catalyst. I recognized that kind of power anywhere, and the sound that came with it.

"Her clothes aren't fire retardant, are they?" came the inquiring voice of Rabbit. I stifled a laugh at the thought. Brandy has indeed just torched her wardrobe.

Invy's face was one of terror as she backed away, using her ice to repel the stray tongues of flame, the residual heat flowing off of Brandy causing her skin to turn an angry red.

Brandy seemed to remain mostly in control as the fire raged around her. Zach gave out a groan of pain as the ward came crashing down, the air around us heating up thirty degrees instantly as the heat was unleashed on the rest of the factory.

Brandy's face twisted in a grimace of pain as she doubled over, holding her abdomen as her catalyst throbbed, the fire fluctuating, causing gouts of flame to soar in random directions.

"Shit. We need to get her out of here!" I yelled.

I leapt down, glancing at the rest of the audience. Unfortunately, there weren't many people here suited to deal with high amounts of heat, and I was one of those people.

I channeled my power, pulling on everything I had as I covered my skin in a thick, green layer of bark. I doubled the layers time and time again, making them as sturdy and nonflammable as possible.

Taking a running start, I leapt onto the arena, the extra hundred pounds in protective armor causing me to grunt as I got closer to Brandy.

Ducking low, I scooped her up in my arms, groaning painfully as the heat pushed its way into my armor. The flames may not be able to reach me, but I couldn't stay like this long before I cooked thoroughly.

I leapt straight through the window, tackling us out into the field as I set Brandy down on the ground.

"Brandy!" I yelled, shielding my face. "You need to close your catalyst, Brandy!"

Luckily, Brandy was still mostly coherent. A length of flame winged my shoulder, sending me sprawling as I grimaced, squinting at the fire mage.

The flames began to gradually die down, the temperature dropping rapidly as Brandy managed to get control over her catalyst again, her body twitching a little as the flames finally subsided. I looked away from the smoldering patch of earth as the first signs of skin began to show on her, sighing thankfully as Calypso did a flip through the window, a fresh change of clothes in hand.

"Eyes facing the factory, Mac" she said sternly, giving me a knowing glare as she knelt by Brandy, whispering to her quietly.

I noticed that the little display had acquired the attention of the rest of our audience. I could see their huddled forms on the other side of the window, obviously curious as to what had happened. I sighed, walking towards the factory, my burnt, smoking armor of bark falling off me in thick, heavy chunks as the power faded from them.

"She's fine" I grunted, pulling myself through the window. "I probably took more damage from that then she did." I joked, rolling my shoulders.

"What happened?" Mac asked, his eyes wide with curiosity, his wounds all but forgotten.

"She lost control of her catalyst." Grahoth grumbled, his eyes passing over me briefly. "It happens from time to time, usually inspired by intense feelings like anger… or fear." He shot Invy a dark look.

"Is that the only way a catalyst can run wild?" I asked, trying to be nonchalant as I looked out across the field.

I could feel Grahoth's analyzing stare on the back of my head. "For a natural catalyst, yes. Artificial catalysts are known to be a bit more… active, at times" he replied.

My curiosity was piqued as I turned to him, trying to be discrete. "Yeah? In what way?"

The large man looked out at the smoldering patch of ground where Brandy was standing up, now fully clothed. "Artificial catalysts come from another powered one. Essentially, it's the last bit of their essence still existing." He said, his features darkening. "Artificial catalysts become more active depending on the personality and power of their creator."

"Do you keep track of who the artificial catalysts belonged to?" I inquired, the need for more knowledge becoming overwhelming.

"Stitches has a file on all known artificial catalysts in existence. We had one too, until we were run out our base earlier this year. We managed to get a lot of files out, but that wasn't one of them." Grahoth replied. "Arthas almost certainly took it back to his southern facility, unfortunately."

I tapped my chin, lost in thought briefly. My catalyst has certainly been much more active lately. Whether it was from opening it that night, or just the length of time I'd had it, I didn't know. Doing more research on who had created the catalyst would certainly be a good idea. If we ever got into the Austin facility, I would have to check in on that.

I was shaken out of my thoughts as Brandy and Calypso made it back to the factory. The rogue helped Brandy back through the window, dusting a bit of soot off of her shoulder. Brandy's eyes locked with mine briefly. She looked absolutely exhausted, but mostly unharmed.

Grahoth cleared his throat, getting our attention immediately. "That fight shows me that your mage is clearly very proficient with her abilities. She's powerful, bold, and extremely good at improvising." He stated, looking at Brandy, who was wearing a smirk. "However, that does not detract from the fact that she is brash and reckless. Though the opening of her catalyst was done in self-defense, she clearly shows a tendency to go overboard."

"Next up is Bloom, and you." Grahoth said, pointing at me. "I don't want a repeat of that last fight. Keep your catalyst under control." He warned, his eyes locking with mine knowingly. It would appear that my actions from earlier had not gone unnoticed.

I nodded, strolling down to the arena. The last fight had left the concrete in shambles, gouges had been dug out from the ice, and the concrete that remained was scorched black from Brandy's catalyst meltdown.

Bloom smirked, doing a flashy flip onto the other side of the arena, flashing me a cheeky grin.

"You ready for this, Mister Hero?" she taunted playfully, popping her neck as she rolled her shoulders, settling into a relaxed stance.

I snorted, grinning as I stood across from her, casually observing her stance. It was weird; neither offensive nor defensive. As if she didn't plan on moving at all.

"Try not to get your ass kicked, Mac! You need to make us look good!" I heard Brandy call out from the back of the room. It would appear that she was well enough to make smartass remarks.

"And if you _do_ lose, I'm going to kick your ass all the way back up to Washington!" Calypso chimed in, flashing her annoyingly cheery smile. Unfortunately, I knew that she would stay true to her threat.

The chatter died down after a few seconds, and the tension was thick in the air as I stared at the girl in front of me. Though I'd gotten a sneak peak at her abilities earlier, I was far from clear as to how powerful she really was. If what Rabbit said was true, then she was second in command around here; Grahoth's right hand, so to speak. She wouldn't be a pushover.

"You may begin." Grahoth stated, backing up as he joined the rest of the crowd.

I sat back, defensively studying her, my heartbeat speeding up a little. Bloom didn't move an inch, the smirk never leaving her face. My heartbeat raced faster as I started feeling power leak out from her. It was a frightening amount, too.

Her power traveled out in strong, steady pulses. It rolled across the factory in waves, and me blood chilled as I felt the vast enormity of it all. It was very apparent why she was such a big target around here.

The girl didn't move an inch as the output of power increased, and I could feel the audience begin to squirm uncomfortably. Not a single sign of strain crossed her face as she channeled her reservoir of power outwards, the waves rolling over me like an ocean.

Her eyes shifted suddenly, looking at Grahoth. "Grahoth, we're going to be leaving this base after this, correct?" she asked timidly.

Grahoth sighed, looking around almost fondly. "Yeah, yeah. Just try not to break us, too."

My eyes widened as her power spiked sharply. Just what the hell did that mean!?

The sound of glass breaking exploded around me, and a few yelps of terror came from the audience. My eyes widened more as a vast forest of vines exploded inwards from the windows, aimed at me.

Instinctively I rolled backwards as the torrent of flora slammed into where I had been. I didn't get much of a break, however, as vast plumes of plant life began sprouting up through the concrete, powerful-looking vines searching for any part of me to start strangling.

I could see why she'd been able to beat Rabbit. Anyone would have trouble avoiding this amount of plants. However, I had a bit of an advantage in this department.

I strained painfully, pulling my power out rapidly. Waves of my own power exploded outwards, my knowledge of druid energy allowing me to quickly and effectively wilt the plants crawling through the pavement.

I grinned as the smile on Bloom's face faultered. She may be powerful, but she was inexperienced. She'd never fought another druid before!

Given her style, it was obvious that this would be a battle of reserves. Whoever had the superior pool of power would win. My catalyst rumbled as a fresh surge of my energy exploded outwards, immediately killing the vast cloud of vines that had poured in through the windows.

I dashed forward, doing a flip over the dying pile of plants as I aimed a punch at her. Her eyes widened as she leaned back, allowing for a large, thick pillar of wood to burst from the floor in front of her, effectively stopping my punch.

A burst of power from my catalyst shattered the tree that had blocked my punch, a grin forming on my face as Bloom began retreating. Another large burst of power flowed from her, prompting another accumulation of vines to slither out of the ground. They wilted before they could get near me, a sharp burst of deadly energy neutralizing them entirely.

Bloom planted her feet in the dirt, a light coating of bark covering her skin as her power spiked to ridiculous levels, the energy radiating off of her as she whipped her hands outwards. Familiar clusters of small green seeds flew from her outstretched palms, bursting into life immediately upon contact with the destroyed concrete.

The seeds formed a massive forest of vines. I stumbled backwards a little, the enormity of the vine cluster catching me offguard as I hastily dug through my pockets, my fingers snatching a handful of dark brown seeds.

I threw them as the cluster of vines began churning in my direction. I had a lot of power, but there was no way I could kill all of those vines before they got to me. I needed a slightly different tactic.

My seeds erupted as the hit the soil, taking root immediately. I pushed power into them, speeding up their growth as they sprouted into five enormous trees. The trees grew skyward rapidly, just in time to catch the wall of vines headed my way.

Bloom's power spiked from behind the wall of foliage, and the trees groaned and strained as the vines pressed against them. Grunting, I spiked my power as well, causing strong, sturdy roots to spring from the ground, wrapping around the trees, reinforcing my protective wall.

Another spike of power came from behind the wall of trees, and my eyes widened as a rumbling, ripping sound echoed through the factory. Several gasps came from the crowd as a jagged spike brutally ripped through the solid trunk of one of my trees, tearing a clean hole through. The jagged spike of wood retracted, returning to the earth as a similar spike sprang from farther down, piercing another tree.

I squinted through the opening in the tree, falling backwards as a third spike crashed through one of the trees, splitting it clean up the middle.

My wall of trees groaned, tilting as its supports were smashed one by one. I spiked my power in response, pushing the incredibly heavy wall of trees away from me, aiming it at Bloom, and the empty end of the factory.

The stumps gave one last groan of protest before ear-shattering cracks rumbled through the factory as the trees toppled, the heavy trunks slamming forcefully onto the arena floor.

A rustling from the top of the fallen trees directed my attention to Bloom's disheveled form as she climbed her way on top of the fallen trees. She looked quite tired, but also quite pissed.

"It would appear… that I need a new strategy to deal with you…" she growled, grinning wickedly. Her fingers tapered off into spikes as her arms turned into lengthy, sturdy vines.

With a quick, flick of her wrist, the vine lashed out in my direction. The speed of it caught me off guard as the whip lashed at my shoulder, sending me sprawling backwards.

I anticipated the next attack, rolling to the side as the vine cracked loudly on the pavement, leaving a nasty-looking gouge in the ground. A thick layer of bark formed on my forearms as I blocked the next lash of the whip, wincing as my bones strained from the force.

I rolled onto my feet, ducking underneath the whip as I burst forward, ducking to the side as the second whip crashed into the ground where I'd been standing. The closer I got to her, the less effective her weapons would be.

A long, curved spine formed from the bark on my forearm, just in time to slice through the vine-whip Bloom was using as I leapt forward, fist raised in preparation to strike. Bloom stumbled backwards, falling back onto her rear as I closed in, the age-old feeling of adrenaline pumping through my veins.

A flash of terror crossed her face, and her eyes closed in preparation for the coming punch as I got closer, her body bracing itself.

A few seconds passed, and one of her eyes opened slightly. She blinked cutely at me, puzzled as I held my hand out to her, gesturing for her to let me help her up. She tilted her head, but accepted my offer, grabbing my hand as she helped herself up, wincing a little. "Aren't you going to finish the fight?" she asked, looking at me warily.

"The fight was finished from where I was standing." I said, smiling at her.

"Well, thanks. That… was a hell of a fight." She mumbled, blushing in embarrassment as she glanced at Grahoth.

"Don't be ashamed that you lost." I said, giving her a sporting pat on the back. "You'd obviously never fought another druid before. Had I been anything else, I would have been toast."

She shook her head, sighing. "Even still. That was an embarrassing loss… no offense."

I chuckled, glancing over at my audience. Mac's jaw was just about hanging off its hinge, Brandy was doing some form of victory dance, and Calypso was smiling at me, giving me an approving nod.

Grahoth gave a long, slow clap as he walked onto the arena floor, looking around in awe. "Well, that was certainly a hell of a fight. You beat our second strongest in a one-on-one fight, regardless of her experience." He said, giving Bloom a relaxing smile. "You have a hell of a lot of talent for someone with an artificial catalyst. You're quick on your feet, proficient at improvising on a moment's notice, and have an undeniably vast amount of power." He continued, studying my reactions. "However, I'm worried that you lack conviction. You hesitated at the end."

"I didn't hesitate." I retorted, locking eyes with Grahoth. "I just understand the difference between enemy and ally. That last punch wouldn't have been necessary."

Grahoth stared at me, his eyes delving into mine, before he started chuckling. "Good answer." He said, turned to the rest of the room. "It's late. We're going to be staying here for the rest of the night, but we'll be moving out first thing tomorrow."

Rabbit grinned, chiming in. "Are we finally going to take back our base, Grah?"

"You damn well better believe we are, Dean." Grahoth replied, grinning. "Too god damn long have we been getting kicked around by these fucking scourge." He said, slamming his fist into a wall, causing a fair-sized crack to appear. "This time… we're going to push them out of our state." He finished, looking out at us. "Go, get some sleep. Be ready to move first thing in the morning."

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**(Author's Note) :**

**Eight thousand words. That's how long this chapter was. Easily my lengthiest chapter to date. That being said, this 8,000 word monstrosity also pushed us over the 100,000 word mark for the story. With any luck, we'll get a few more readers due to that.**

**I had a ton of fun with this chapter. I really hope you guys liked the fights.**

**Like always, read and review.**

**Mash.**


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